


For the Sake of Love

by thatwriterlady



Category: Supernatural
Genre: After Mary Dies, Alone, BAMF Castiel (Supernatural), Bad Parent John Winchester, Creature Castiel, Creature Fic, Curiosity, Danger, Falling In Love, Family, Feelings, Kissing, Loss, Love, M/M, Ocean, Open Ended Will Change This Tag If I Add More, Ostricized, Smut, friends - Freeform, lonely
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-26 22:15:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 28,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15010598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatwriterlady/pseuds/thatwriterlady
Summary: Dean's just a little boy when he nearly drowns in the ocean on a family vacation.  Were it not for meeting another little boy who saved his life by holding him up until his father could swim out to get him.  This chance meeting leads to a lifelong friendship, but it leads to a whole lot more.  When Dean accidentally puts himself and his new friend in danger, it leads to him needing to ask his uncle for help.  This wasn't the life Dean thought he'd have at just six years old, but it's everything he ever wanted at 18.Watch as Dean embarks on a life changing mission to protect the man he cares about more than anything.  Everything he's about to do is for the sake of love.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my reverse bang and I'm so excited!!! For those of you who are unfamiliar with what that is, I was given a piece of art, and I had to write a story around it. The artist, man, talk about getting a fantastic one to work with! I got way more art than I expected, and I really hope you all enjoy both the story and the art, because the art is AMAZING! Enjoy my first ever creature (that wasn't a werewolf or mountain lion, lol) fic. Let me know what you think in the comments.
> 
> Here's the direct link to all of the art: https://thedogsled.tumblr.com/post/175142373233/this-is-a-dean-cas-reverse-bang-art-masterpost-for

 

 

**_For the Sake of Love~_ **

 

_ {See end of story for glossary of words used.  Language is Greek} _

The first time the Winchester family decided to take a vacation and head to the beach was the summer after their son Dean was born.  

 

Mary enjoyed sitting in the sand with her baby, shaded from the hot sun by a giant umbrella, but John liked carrying his son out into the water so he could kick and splash his chubby little legs.  It was a perfect first family vacation, and the couple loved the ocean so much they bought a timeshare, splitting it with their friends Bobby and Karen. 

 

One month, every summer, they would get to come, enjoy the weather, play in the water, and get away from all the stresses that seemed to drag them down when they were at home.  If it wasn’t Mary’s parents constantly insulting John, telling him he wasn’t good enough for their daughter, or her friends telling her that everything she was doing for her baby was wrong and that she should listen to them, or John’s struggles to get his business to grow, it was something else coming up.  They persevered though. Their love never wavered. 

 

Summer after summer they would head to the beach, and when Dean was four, he was joined by his little brother, Sam.  John would take turns with the boys, bringing them into the water one at a time to kick and splash while Mary would stay under her umbrella, helping whichever boy she had with her to play in the sand.

The summer after Dean’s sixth birthday was fun.  He was old enough now that when his dad took Sam into the water, he didn’t have to wait up on the beach until it was his turn.  As long as he listened and followed his father’s rules, he could play in the water too. The biggest rule of all was that he had to stay close.  

 

Other important rules were things like never wander out into the deeper water, don’t put things in his mouth, and ask before touching anything that washed up on shore.  He had a really cool collection of shells he’d been gathering for as long as he could remember. His mom would take him by the hand and they would walk along the water’s edge, investigating the things that the ocean tossed into the sand.  There was a shelf in his bedroom filled with all the cool shells and bits of smooth glass he’d collected. It was one of his favorite things to do every summer.

Getting two-year-old Sam to follow those rules, though, was almost impossible.  He was always trying to wander off, and he was really bad about putting things in his mouth. Mary had to watch him constantly.  They’d been at the condo a total of three days when it happened. 

 

Dean had waited patiently for his father to take him and his brother into the water, but Sam hadn’t been feeling very well when they’d left Kansas to come here.  His mom said his little brother was teething, and it was causing him to whine a lot and get fevers. 

 

That morning, the sun shone brightly as they all headed down to the beach.  Dean was super excited because his dad had promised to teach him how to swim.  Sam was even feeling better, not that he would sit still at all. Any time their parents looked away for even a split second, Sam was wandering off, looking for stuff to get into.  More than a few times Dean had dragged his kicking and screaming little brother back himself. That wasn’t easy either; Sam was heavy.

John had brought Sam out to the water briefly, but he was fussy and wanted Mary, so he passed the baby off to her.  He turned his attention to Dean, who was looking up eagerly at him.

“Now I can learn how to swim?”

“Now you can learn how to swim.”  John scooped him up and moved farther into the water.  “You need to do everything I tell you, ok?”

“Yes, sir.”  Dean’s green eyes widened when the water reached his dad’s waist.  He knew he wouldn’t be able to stand on the bottom if he was put down.

“Now, do you remember how to float?”  John asked. Dean nodded, and he felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness when his dad started to lower him into the water.  “Relax, Dean. If you tense up you’ll sink.”

Dean slowed his breathing, just like his dad had taught him and relaxed as he laid back in the water.  The gentle movement of the waves was rocking him back and forth. He had closed his eyes and when he opened them, he saw his dad standing over him, smiling.

“Good job, kiddo.  You’re really good at floating.”

Dean was always happy when his dad was proud of him.  A hand was firmly holding his ankle so he didn’t get pulled out farther, and he felt safe.  His dad would never let anything happen to him.

“Ok, now I’m going to turn you onto your belly.  You will move your arms like this...” John did a quick demonstration before picking Dean up and turning him onto his stomach.  He didn’t let go though; he held Dean securely as he instructed him on how to move his arms and how to kick his legs. It was tiring but fun and when his dad let him go he actually managed to swim a few feet before he started to sink.

“Tread water, Dean.  You know how to do it,” John told him.  Dean was scared, but he did what his dad told him.  He treaded water for a bit before lying back so he could float.  Floating was easier.

John moved him closer to shore again and they played in the surf, splashing and tossing around the beach ball they’d brought on this trip.  Playing with his dad was the best and he always had fun, no matter what they did. Sometimes it was playing in the water like right now, sometimes it was his dad showing him how to hit a baseball or throw a football.  He didn’t much understand baseball, and football was kind of boring, but if it meant time spent with his dad, he was always excited.

When Mary’s scream ripped out across the beach, Dean startled.  He’d never heard his mother yell like that before and it scared him.  John was already hurrying out of the water to go see what had happened.

“Come on, Dean, you can’t stay in the water,” he called back.  Dean nodded and turned to follow, but then he spotted the ball.  It was being pulled out, and he didn’t want his dad to get mad because they lost it.  He tried to walk out another few feet to grab it, but it kept moving farther and farther out of his reach.  He looked back at the shore in time to see his dad bending Sam over his knee and smacking him on the back. Of  _ course _ his little brother had gotten into something he wasn’t supposed to.  He turned his attention back to the ball, but now it was even farther out of reach.  A few more feet and he would be almost there…

No one had told him that sometimes the sandy floor just disappeared out from under you when you went out too far, and he gasped when his feet left the sand and he realized there was nothing underneath him.  The water under the surface was strong, something else his dad hadn’t told him, and he was pulled under before he could call out for help. When he popped back up he was coughing, terrified out of his mind and forgetting everything his father had just taught him.  Every time he tried to call out for his mom or dad, another wave would come and fill his mouth with salty water. The beach was getting farther and farther away, and he burst into tears as he struggled to keep his head above the water.

He was getting so tired and trying to tread water was becoming almost impossible.  His little legs were getting harder and harder to move, and his arms hurt so bad. The water pushed him under again and he knew, even at six years old, that the ocean was going to win this fight.  He was going to die, and his mom and dad were never going to know that he’d broken the rules. They’d never get to hear him say he was sorry, so very, very sorry, for breaking the rules.

He was pulled under the water again, and he was sure he was about to die, until something wrapped around his waist, holding him tight.  Suddenly he was being pushed up, his head and shoulders breaking the surface. Something was holding him up as he coughed and coughed, trying to expel the water from his lungs.  He wiped at his eyes and looked around. It wasn’t his dad; he was still back on the shore. A dark head of hair broke the surface, and then blue eyes were looking back at him.

“W-who are you?”  He coughed again and watched as the blue eyes raised up higher.  The face looking back at him was that of a little boy, only a little older than him.  He didn’t say anything, just stared silently.

“I’m Dean.”  Dean thought maybe this boy was like Hector at school.  Hector couldn’t speak English when he started school. He pointed at himself again.  “I’m Dean.” 

The other boy rose up more tilting his head as he studied Dean’s face.

“Dean.”  Dean pointed at himself again. 

“D…Dean,” the boy repeated. His voice sounded weird, like he wasn’t used to talking. “Dean,” he said again. Dean nodded and pointed at himself again.

“Yes, I’m Dean.  What’s your name?”

The boy tilted his head the other direction.  He looked confused. Dean touched his own chest again.  “I’m Dean.” He touched the other boy’s chest. “You are?”

The boy’s eyes lit up with understanding.  He brought a hand up out of the water to point at himself.  “Castiel.”

“Hi, Castiel, how are you out here in the water?  Where’s your mom and dad?” Dean asked. Again those blue eyes looked confused. 

“Dean!”

He turned to see his dad running into the water and swimming towards where he was.  He realized they weren’t going under the water like they should be. They both should have been drowning, but they weren’t.  He reached under the water and touched the thing around his waist. His eyes widened when he felt the smooth, yet firm shape circled around him.  The tips of his fingers brushed against small, round shapes that seemed to touch him back. 

“What  _ are _ you?”  he whispered.  The boy tapped his own chest.

“Castiel.”

  


The sound of his father swimming towards them caused Castiel to whip his head around.  He ducked lower in the water, though he kept a hold on Dean, continuing to hold him up.

“Where are you going?  My dad will help you, too.”  Dean watched as Castiel disappeared completely under the water.  As John reached his son, the arm, or whatever it was around his waist, slowly released him.  John swept him up in his arms before he could go under again.

It took much longer getting to shore as John had to hold Dean up, and by the time they staggered out of the water, John was exhausted.  He collapsed on his knees, breathing hard.

“Dean.”  He grabbed his son and hugged him tight.  “I thought…” 

Dean hugged his father back.  “I’m sorry, Daddy, I broke your rules.  I was trying to get the ball.”

“Honey, the ball can be replaced, you cannot.”  John pushed his little boy’s hair back from his forehead and kissed it.  “I thought I had lost you.”

“I was drowning, but Castiel held me up.  He kept me safe.”

John frowned, shaking his head in confusion.  “What? There was no one else out in the water, Dean.  I saw you treading water and I hurried to get to you as fast as I could.  I told you, the ocean is dangerous. You can’t ever swim out that far again, ok?”

Dean nodded.  “Ok.”

“Come on, you scared your mama too.  She’s crying. I think we’re done with the water for today.”

John stood up, and Dean did too. He took his father’s hand and they started walking up the beach to where Mary was standing, holding Sam in her arms.  He looked back out at the water, his eyes searching for the little boy who had saved him. The ocean was vast, though, and he didn’t see any sign of Castiel. 

Castiel was watching, though, his eyes tracking the humans as they moved across the land.  His elders had warned him and his siblings about humans, said they were evil and would kill his kind if they got the chance, but Dean was different.  Dean had been in trouble. He knew humans couldn’t breathe in the water and that if he didn’t help him, Dean would have died. He thought the human would be mean, try to hurt him, but instead he’d been friendly, wanting to speak to him.  The language was not one Castiel knew, but he understood that the boy was trying to learn his name. He’d wanted to learn more but then the adult human had started swimming out to bring Dean back, so he’d hidden. Humans were fascinating, even if they were forbidden. He wondered if he would ever see Dean again.


	2. Chapter 2

Every day Dean went back to the water’s edge, but he didn’t go in.  His dad said he couldn’t unless he was with him, but he was allowed to play in the tide pools near the rocks.  It was while he was investigating some small fish in one that he caught movement of something out in the water.  He looked up to see a pair of familiar blue eyes watching him.

“Cas!” he exclaimed and jumped out of the tide pool.  Moving to the water’s edge, he knelt down and waved. “You came back.”

Castiel lifted his head out of the water and looked down the beach towards where John and Mary were lying out on their towels.  Sam was in a playpen they’d carried down to the beach and was asleep under the safety of their big umbrella. 

“That’s my mom and dad,”  Dean said. Castiel looked again at him, his expression curious. 

“Mom?  Dad?” 

Dean wondered how he could explain the words.  “My mom, she carried me in her tummy.” He pointed at his belly and then made a motion like he was rocking a baby.  “Mom. My dad swam out to get me that day. He’s strong.” He lifted his arms up like he was showing off his muscles.  Castiel smiled.

“Mom…dad.”

“Where are your mom and dad?”  Dean asked. When Castiel cocked his head at him in confusion he pointed at the boy.  “Castiel’s mom and dad.”

That seemed to be something he understood.  He pointed out at the water. “Mom…dad.”

“You live in the water?  It’s your home?” Dean didn’t know how that was possible, but he thought it was pretty cool.

“Home?”  Castiel had that confused look again. 

“Yeah, your home.  See, in the summer, I live there.”  Dean pointed up at the condos behind him.  “That’s home for me and my mom and dad, and my brother.  Is your home the water?”

Castiel frowned as he tried to make sense of Dean’s words.  He thought maybe the boy was trying to ask if he lived in the water.  He looked up at the structures Dean had pointed at. Every day since he’d met Dean, he’d watched them go inside one of them, and he’d seen them coming out too.  That was where Dean lived. Dean’s…home.

“Home?  Dean, home?”  He pointed up at the buildings.  Dean nodded excitedly.

“Yes!  My home!  But I have to go back to Kansas soon.  I’ll be back next summer though. Do you live here in the water?” 

“Home.”  Castiel ran his hand over the water’s surface.  “Castiel, home.”

Dean noticed the sharp looking nails on Castiel’s hands, and the webbing between his fingers.  He wiggled his own fingers. It was fun teaching his new friend how to speak English.

“These are my fingers.”  He wiggled them again. Castiel smiled and raised his own hand, wiggling his own fingers.

“Fin…gers.”

“Yes!  Fingers!”

Castiel pointed at Dean’s feet, which were tucked up under him.  “Fingers?”

Dean moved so his legs were stretched out in front of him.  “No, these are my toes.” He wiggled them and watched as Castiel moved closer to examine them.  There was something moving in the water around him but Dean couldn’t get a really good look at what it was.

“Toes.  Fingers…”  Castiel wiggled his.  “Toes.” He pointed at Dean’s foot.

“Yeah, but see, my toes are on my feet.  This is a foot.” Dean patted his foot. “And these are toes.  Where are your toes?”

“Castiel, toes.”  The boy shook his head.  “Fingers.” He held his hand up proudly and wiggled his fingers.  “Toes.” He shook his head.

“You don’t have toes?”  Dean asked. “If you don’t have toes, what  _ do _ you have?”

Castiel looked nervously back up the beach to where John and Mary were still lying down.  He was partially blocked by some rocks so they couldn’t see him as long as he stayed low, they could only see Dean.  Turning to look at Dean again, he came out of the water. The human boy’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

“You’re a fish!”

Castiel’s thick, black tentacles curled around him, the color seeming to shift as Dean looked at them, from black to dark blue to purple, then back to black.

“Fish?”  Castiel asked.

“Maybe not a fish.  You don’t look like a fish.  I don’t know what you are, but it’s pretty cool.  I wish I could live in the ocean.” He pointed at one of Castiel’s tentacles.  “Can I touch?” His hand hovered close, but he didn’t reach out yet. His parents had always told him to be polite and ask permission.  Maybe fish people had different rules. He didn’t want to upset Castiel.

Castiel looked at the fingers hovering so close. Dean wanted to touch him.  Slowly he unfurled one of his tentacles and very gently curled it around the boy’s hand, his suckers tasting and smelling the tender skin.  He was careful not to hurt Dean. This human was his friend. Dean giggled and Castiel watched him curiously, a small smile on his face.

“You’re like an octopus.  I like octopuses. Sometimes I see them in the tide pools.”  Dean said.

“Octo-pus?”  Castiel tilted his head again curiously.  Dean pointed at his tentacles and then at the tide pool behind him.

“Sometimes I see an octopus in there.  My dad says to leave them alone cause they’re real smart and some are poisonous.”

Castiel frowned, not understanding his words.  Dean sighed. It was going to be hard work teaching his new friend how to speak his language, but he was helping Hector from school too.

“I’m going to bring my picture book tomorrow and show you stuff.  Then you can say the words and know what they mean.” 

“Toes.”  Castiel said, and grinned.  His teeth were sharp and pointy, kind of like a shark, but not really.  It was pretty cool.

He talked to Castiel, trying to teach him new words, like sand, rocks, crab, and other things he could easily point out until his mom called his name.  Castiel quickly moved back into the water, ducking down so only his eyes and the top of his head were above it. 

“Yeah?”  Dean called back to her.

“It’s time to go inside and get washed up for supper.” 

“I’m going to go inside now,” he explained.  Castiel rose up enough that his mouth was out of the water.

“Dean.  Home?”

Dean nodded and smiled.  “Right, I’m going home. But I will see you tomorrow, ok?  Right here. I will come back right here.” He patted the sand, hoping Castiel knew what he meant.

“Dean.  Castiel.  Home.”

Dean squinted, not quite understanding.  He thought maybe Castiel understood that he was coming back tomorrow.

“Bye, Cas.  I’ll come back tomorrow.”  He stood up, waving goodbye before he ran down the beach to his mother.

“Mom,” Castiel murmured.  “Home.” Dean’s language was fascinating.  Tomorrow he would check to see if his new friend came back.  He thought that’s what Dean was trying to tell him. Slipping under the water, he raced back towards the underground cave deep below the surface, where his family lived.  He caught two big fish on his way down and brought them inside. His siblings were busy weaving seaweed, making nets to capture fish and none of them gave him a second glance when he entered.  His birther smiled when she saw him and motioned for him to come sit with her on the shelf she was on. There was air down here, a pocket of it that allowed them to climb out of the water, and as he slid up to sit beside her, he thought about Dean and his words.  His birther, she was his mom. That made his birther’s mate his dad. Mom and dad. He had a different name for them though.  Mitéra for the one who gave birth to him and his siblings, and patéras for the one that didn’t.  It made him happy to know that he was understanding the things Dean was telling him.  He wanted to tell Dean things too.

_ “Where were you?” _ she asked.  His people didn’t need to speak with words.  They could, but it wasn’t necessary. They spoke with their minds.  It was how they were able to hunt silently, their prey never knowing they were going to attack.

_ “I was exploring and hunting.  See? I caught food.” _

She smiled and accepted one of them, biting into its soft belly.  He smiled back before taking a bite of his own.

_ “Did you see anything interesting?” _

He knew better than to tell her about Dean.  Everyone would be upset if they knew he was talking to a human.  He took another bite of his fish and dipped two of his tentacles into the water.

_ “I saw more caves, and  _ _ delfíni _ _ , and  _ _ karcharías _ _ and…” _

His excited babbling seemed to amuse his m itéra as she listened to everything he was saying.  She ran her fingers through his hair (now that he knew humans called them fingers) as a sign of affection, nodding as he described each new thing he saw.

_ “Be careful,  _ _ agápi mou _ _ , there are things out there that would cause you great harm.” _

He nodded as he finished his food.   _ “I am careful m _ _ itéra _ _.” _

He leaned into her touch, craving her affection, which she readily gave.  When his  patéras  entered, the dark of his body was glowing brightly, lighting up their living space, the colors rippling along his body in agitation.

_ “What’s wrong?”   _ His m itéra  asked.

_ “ _ _ Tou anthrópou _ _.  Skafos.  In our hunting grounds.  They’re taking all of our food again.”  _

_“There is always plenty, and they always move on.  We must stay away from them. Stay away from their hunting tools,”_ she warned.  All of her  paidiá looked up at her, nodding solemnly.  Castiel was worried. He didn’t want to stay away from Dean, but his family might be watching him more closely if there were more tou anthrópou out on the water.  There were stories told about them capturing his kind and torturing them before killing them.  Those were stories that made it difficult to sleep at night.

Later, as he curled up with his siblings, each wrapping their tentacles around one another for comfort and safety, he let thoughts of his afternoon with Dean lull him into a happy, contented sleep.  He had made a decision earlier that day, to keep his friendship with Dean secret. The last thing he wanted was to bring danger to his friend. Besides, his  patéras  didn’t need to know everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
> 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Think of Castiel as a super genius, surpassing even Stephen Hawkings in intelligence. It's why he picks up on language so quickly. I hope you're still enjoying the story!

Every day for the rest of his trip Dean would hurry down to the beach, always bringing a book with him, which his parents thought was unusual, and always going down to the tide pools just beyond the rocks.  Dean, however, was eager to teach Castiel as many new words as possible before he had to go back to Kansas. By the end of their trip, he was able to explain a little better that he didn’t really live here in the condo by the beach, but in a place called Kansas, which was far away.  Castiel was sad, and he cried the day Dean told him he had to leave.

“I have to go home, but it’s ok, I’ll come back next summer,” Dean promised.

“Come…back?”  Castiel asked.  Dean nodded.

“Yep, I will come back next summer, and we can talk and play.  Will you be here?”

“Here.”  Castiel struggled to remember what that word meant.  He patted the water around him. “Here?”

Dean nodded again.  “Yeah, will you be here?”

“Yes.  Here. Castiel, home.”

“Ok, then I’ll see you when I come back.  I’ll try to bring more books so I can show you more stuff,” Dean promised.

“Stuff.  Bring, home?”  Castiel patted the water again.

“I’ll bring stuff.”  Dean repeated. “I’ll miss you.”

“Miss?”  Castiel didn’t know that word.

“When I go home and can’t see you, I will miss you.  You’re my friend.” Dean looked to make sure his parents weren’t looking before he moved into the water and pulled Castiel into a hug.  At first the other boy didn’t know what he was doing, but it reminded him of the tender ways his  oikogéneia wound touch.  He wrapped his arms around Dean and hugged him back.

“Miss.  Go home, miss Dean,” Castiel said softly.

“Yeah, I’m gonna miss you.”  Dean hurried back up to the sand so his parents didn’t catch him and yell at him. 

“Go, mom, dad?”  Castiel asked. “Sam?”

Dean had told him what his brother’s name was, and he nodded.  “Yep, my dad drives us in his car, but you don’t know what a car is.  I bet you’ve never been in one. I will try to remember to bring some toys when I come next time.  So we can play.”

They talked and went over words he’d been teaching Castiel until his parents called his name.

“I gotta go, but I’ll be back next summer.”  Dean said as he got to his feet. He didn’t want to go home; he wanted to stay here with Castiel.  The year couldn’t pass fast enough.

As he started walking away he waved goodbye to his friend, and he hoped Castiel understood that he would be coming back.  This wasn’t goodbye. The sad look on his friend’s face made him think otherwise.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Every day, until the weather began to turn and it was time to start their annual migration, Castiel went back to that spot on the beach, looking to see if Dean had come back.  It made him sad when each day, Dean didn’t come. When the migration started, they all moved together to the breeding grounds, which were in warmer waters farther south. He wasn’t old enough yet to breed, and he was glad.  Watching others of his kind in a mating ritual was kind of gross. 

It was boring at the breeding grounds, and he spent most of his time exploring with his sibling Gabriel. Gabriel was older by several seasons, though not yet old enough to breed either, and his favorite thing to do was boss around his younger siblings, and play tricks on them.  He was Castiel’s favorite of all of his siblings. 

 

The hunting here was different and they weren’t big enough or strong enough to take down the big prey, and all the mature members of his kind were busy mating.  He settled for smaller prey, which still tasted good, and playing chase with his siblings and the other young around his age. 

 

The long winter passed by much too slowly and then they were all making the trip back to northern waters.  His  mitéra was carrying new life and by the time they reached their cave in their home waters, she would be ready to give birth.  There was no telling how many she would give birth to this time. Larger predators had wiped out her last hatch completely, so she was eagerly looking forward to these ones.

When they reached their home, the first thing he did was go check to see if Dean had come back.  It was disappointing to learn that he had not. He had been marking on a rock near the shore just how many days had passed, and it was a long, long time before he swam up one morning and found Dean sitting at the water’s edge waiting for him.

“Dean!” he exclaimed.  His friend was smiling wide.

“Hi, Cas!  We’re here for the whole month again.  My dad taught me how to swim better, so I’ll be safer this year in the water.  Did you miss me?”

Castiel tried latching on to the words that spilled from his friend’s mouth, but only three words stood out; dad, water, and miss.

“Miss Dean.  Dean home?”

“For the whole month, it’s my home.”  Dean sat down on his butt and buried his toes in the sand.  “What did you do while I was gone?”

Castiel cocked his head, not sure what Dean was saying.  He noticed there was a book lying in the sand and pointed at it.  It took him a moment to remember the word for it.

“Book?  Words?”

“You wanna learn stuff?”  Dean asked. Castiel nodded and watched as Dean pulled the book closer.  He sprawled out on his stomach with the book between him and Castiel and opened it up. 

“I learned lots of stuff in school this year, and now I can read!”  Dean exclaimed. Castiel looked up at him curiously. Read was a new word.

“Read?”

“See here?  This is a bird.”  Dean pointed at a picture of a seagull.  This…” His finger slid lower to the black squiggles underneath the picture.  “Is the word for bird. B-i-r-d. Bird.” He pointed out each letter. Castiel pointed at the picture. 

“Bird.” 

“Yes.  B-i-r-d.  Bird.” Dean spelled it out again, and pointed to the letters.  Castiel traced the letters with his finger. He’d seen squiggles like this, on sunken skafos, ones that passed overhead when he was hiding in the water, and even on Dean’s clothes.  He had assumed they were just some kind of decoration but now he understood they were part of the language the t ou anthrópou here spoke.

Dean pointed to another word on the page.  “This is a cat. C-a-t. Cat.”

“Cat.”  Castiel repeated.  These were different squiggles.  Different squiggles spelled out different words.  Cat looked scary. Did humans eat cats? He looked up at Dean and touched his fingers to his mouth.  “Cat?”

Dean’s eyes widened before he burst into giggles.  “No, silly, we don’t  _ eat _ cats, we keep them as pets.”

Castiel had no clue what he was saying.  He’d only caught the word “no”. So humans didn’t eat cats.  What exactly  _ did _ they eat?

The next word was dog.  Dean explained they didn’t eat those either.  After dog came elephant. Dean explained that elephants were super big and made loud noises with their noses, which he called a trunk.  The next picture he recognized and pointed to it.

“ Psári .”

Dean wrinkled his nose in confusion.  “What? That’s a fish.”

“ Psári .”  Castiel insisted. 

“That’s what you call fish?” 

Castiel nodded.  Dean looked at the picture again.  “ Psári .”

Castiel’s nodding became very enthusiastic.  “ Psári .”

“So you have words too, just not English words,” the boy pondered.  Castiel pointed to the next picture and looked up at him expectantly.

“That’s a goat.  G-o-a-t. Goat.”

Castiel traced the squiggly shapes that spelled out goat.  He saw the “O” from dog, and the “G”. There was an “A” from cat too.  So there were only a certain amount of these squiggles and t ou anthrópou would move them around to spell different words.  Interesting.

After goat came house, then ice, then jump.  Dean had to get up and jump in order to explain what jumping was.  After jump was kite, then lamp. They spent the afternoon going over every word in the book, and Dean spelled all of them.  Castiel wanted the book opened again, so Dean obliged. He began pointing out the letters.

“D-o-g. Dog?”

Dean nodded.  “Yep.”

“B-a-l-l-o-o-n.  Ba-loon?”

Dean grinned wide.  “Yes! See? You’re learning to spell, just like me!”

Castiel smiled, feeling more confident in his learning.  Maybe one day he would be able to read the signs the t ou anthrópou sometimes put in the water.

Every day, for the entire month, Dean came back to the tide pools to talk with his friend.  He brought different books once he knew Castiel could say and spell all of the words in one, and their ability to communicate only got better with every passing week.  Sometimes Dean went off to play with his brother or his dad, and sometimes he didn’t come down to the beach at all but the next time he came back, he would bring treats for Castiel, which made the wait worthwhile.  Everything Dean brought him was fascinating. On the last day before he had to go away again, he brought something small and hard, yet it moved when he placed it in the palm of his hand.

“What this?”

“It’s a truck.”  Dean replied. “I have lots of them so I wanted to give you one.”

“Truck.  Small?” Castiel squinted at the toy as he rolled it back and forth across his hand.  When he pushed it too far it fell off and into the water. He snatched it up with his tentacle and brought it back up to place on his palm again.

“It’s a toy.  Remember we learned about toys?”  Dean asked. Castiel nodded.

“For play.”

“Right.  Real trucks are so big!”  Dean held his hands out wide and Castiel marveled at the difference in size between the toy in his hand and what his friend was saying a real truck looked like.

“Dean go?  Home? Kansas?”  Castiel asked. Dean’s face fell and he looked so sad.

“Yeah, I hafta go.  I have to go to school, but when I come back next summer I will bring new books, ok?  And I’ll teach you all sorts of new stuff.”

“Promise?”  Castiel asked.  He’d learned what a promise was, and he knew Dean took them very seriously.

“Yes, I promise.  You’re my best friend, Cas.  I’ll always come back.”

Castiel smiled brightly, happy that his friend would come back, even if he had to wait a really long time.

“What do you do when I go back to Kansas?  Do you just swim around?” Dean asked.

“I make.  For hunting.  Tools.” Castiel thought that was the right way to say it.  “Then go, long, long way. New water. Mom make new baby.”

Dean cocked his head in confusion.  “You have to go far away so your mom can have a baby?”

Castiel shook his head.  “No. Mom  _ make _ baby new water.  Mom have baby here.”

“Where do you live?  Do you have a house under the water?” 

Castiel pondered the question for a moment.  He supposed he  _ did _ have a house, but it wasn’t like the ones the t ou anthrópou lived in.  The word he’d learned just yesterday was cave.  Yes, that was his house.

“I live in cave with mom, dad,  adérfia ,  neossoí .”

“What’s…ne-ne-ne…0-see?”  Dean asked. Castiel held his arms up as if he were cradling a human baby, the same way Dean had done when he’s explained the difference between mom and dad.

“Oh!  It’s a baby!”  Dean exclaimed.  Castiel smiled and nodded.

“Yes.  Mom have many baby.”

“Your mom has lots of babies?  All at once?” Dean was fascinated.  “My mom only has one at a time.”

“Baby very small.”  Castiel held up his hand to show the size of a newborn of his kind.

“Wow, you were that tiny when you were born?” 

“Yes.  I only  neossoí get big.  No more.”

Dean thought for a minute as he tried to understand what his friend was telling him.

“Your mom, she has lots of babies, but…some die?”

“No know die.”  Castiel didn’t know that word.

“Die, it’s when…”  Dean frowned. He looked at a crab searching through the sand a few feet away.  “That crab? It’s alive. It walks around, it eats, it poops, and it goes to its home at night.”  He searched around until he found a clam that had washed up and grabbed it. It took a bit to pry it open and he immediately wished he hadn’t.  The meat inside was rancid, having already started to rot in the hot, Florida sun.

“This?  It is dead.  This is what die means.  It’s not alive anymore.”

Castiel looked at the clam, his brain processing what he was being told.  “Die. Yes,  neossoí die.  Many die.  I only alive.  My alive. Go warm water many times ago, mom make new  neossoí , come home, have  neossoí .  Many live.  We go new water you go home, Kansas.  Mom make new  neossoí .  Now  neossoí swim, play, I play with new  adérfia .”

“So…you went to the new water last year?”  Dean asked. Castiel nodded. “And your mom got pregnant with new babies?”  Again his friend nodded. “So now you have new little brothers and sisters?”

“Yes!”  Castiel exclaimed excitedly.  Dean understood what he was saying.

“How many brothers and sisters do you have?” 

“Many.   Karcharías eat  neossoí .  Mom cry.”

“Kar…karcha…”  Dean couldn’t pronounce the word.

“ Karcharías .”  Castiel pointed to the book Dean had brought that day and waited for his friend to open it.  He moved closer so he could flip through the pages until he found the right picture and pointed to it.  His friend gasped in horror at what he was pointing to.

“That’s a shark!”

“Shark.  Yes.  Karcharías .  Eat  neossoí .  Mom cry.  Dad angry.  Dad kill k archarías .”

Dean looked so sad.  Tears filled his eyes as he looked up at his friend.

“I’m sorry, Cas.  I’m sorry the sharks ate your brothers and sisters.”

Castiel nodded.  It always made him cry when he lost  adelfós .

“I keep  neossoí safe when go new waters.”

“I wish I could meet them.  Are they really tiny still?”  Dean asked.

Castiel held up his hands to show how big they were now.

“Oh, that’s still really little, but bigger than I thought they would be.  Do you love them?”

Castiel tilted his head, curious about the new word.

“Love?”

“Yeah, you want to be with them, they make you happy and you make them happy.  You want to protect them and be with them. That’s love.”

Castiel smiled softly.  “Yes, Castiel love  neossoí .  Love mom, love dad, love brothers, sisters.  Love Dean.”

Dean smiled wide.  “Yeah? I love you too.  You’re my bestest friend in the world.  I’m going to miss you.”

Castiel had learned what the word “miss” meant.  He was going to miss Dean too until he came back again.

“I miss Dean when go Kansas.”

“But I’ll be back and then we can learn new stuff and play.  Ok?” Dean pointed at the truck in his friend’s hand. “I’ll bring more, and we can play with them.”

“I like truck.  Keep safe, Dean come back,” Castiel promised.  He just had to find a safe place to hide the truck so his  patéras  didn’t see it.  That was the real issue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
> 


	4. Chapter 4

Dean left, just as he had the last warm season, which he called “summer,” and it would be a long time before he came back.  As always, when the weather began to turn cold, his people began the long trip south to warmer waters. He enjoyed watching his new  adelfós and playing with them.  It made the time pass faster.  When they made the trip back north, he was excited to get home.  He knew Dean would not be coming yet for many moons still, but he could go and see if his truck was still safely hidden, and play with it until Dean returned with more of them.

Dean did return, and they spent days and days playing in the summer sun.  He learned so many new words in his friend’s language, which he learned was English, and he taught Dean words in his language too.  They played every summer and every winter he went south to warmer waters so the adults could mate and produce the new year’s  neossoí . 

The eighth summer after they had met, Dean was different when he arrived.  He was sad and angry, and it frightened Castiel. It took days after he had arrived before Dean finally came down to the water’s edge.  His mom and dad were nowhere to be seen, neither was Sam.

“Dean, I missed you,” he said as his friend sat down, burying his toes in the sand where it met the water.  Castiel moved closer, reaching a hand out to touch Dean’s leg. “What wrong?”

“I…”  Dean’s green eyes suddenly filled with tears.  “This is my last summer here. My dad says we can’t come back; he can’t afford it.  My mom, she…” He shuddered as he began to cry. “My mom died last winter. My house caught fire, and she couldn’t get out.”

“What is fire?  It is bad?” Castiel asked.  Dean reached into his back pocket, pulling out a little plastic stick with a metal top.

“This is a lighter.  It makes fire.” Dean ran his finger over part of it and something orange came out of the top.  Castiel watched, mystified as it flickered in the warm breeze.

“I do not understand how this made your mom die.”

It is hot, and the fire my mom died in was really big.  It burned everything. We don’t have a house anymore. We only came this summer because I begged my dad, and the condo was already paid up for the year.  My Uncle Bobby told him to take us this summer. He’s selling our timeshare, and he says we can’t afford to come to Florida anymore.” Dean sobbed. The fire on the lighter went out, and he shoved it back in his pocket.  Castiel moved up onto the shore, careful to stay behind the rocks so no humans (another word he had learned) saw him, and wrapped his friend up in a hug. 

“Your mom, she has gone to  parádeisos . She is safe. How I can go to Kansas?  I will miss you and I don’t…” Castiel hugged him tighter.  “I want to stay with you.”

“Cas, I wish you could. I don’t want to stay in Kansas; I want to be here with you.  I’m happy here.” Dean sniffled as he laid his head on his friend’s shoulder. “There’s no ocean in Kansas.  I am not happy unless I’m near the ocean. Unless I’m near you.”

“Why you can’t stay?  Why you have to go back to Kansas?”  Castiel didn’t understand why his friend couldn’t stay.

“I’m not old enough, I can’t.”

“I not understand.” 

Dean sighed as he sat back. Castiel slid back into the water and waited for him to explain.

“I’m still a kid, Cas.  Kids can’t live on their own.  I can’t until I’m 18. Then I have to get a job.”

“What is…kid?  Why you kid?”

“Humans, we take care of our kids, our babies, until they are 18.  That’s 18 summers, Cas.”

“What summer you in now?”  Castiel asked.

“I’m 14.  Fourteen summers have passed since I was born.”

“Oh.  You have more summers before you can come and stay,”  Castiel realized. 

“I can only come back if I have money.  I need money. It’s expensive to live on my own.”

Castiel knew that humans relied on money and used it to get things they wanted.  He’d tried to help his friend by searching the ocean floor for things Dean could sell or trade to get things he wanted or needed.  A few times he had found things of human value, but Dean’s father had taken them. 

“Castiel help, find things.  More gold and human things from boats under the water.  That will give you money, yes?”

“Yeah, but you have to hold on to them for me.  If you give them to me now my dad will take them and sell them, and he won’t give me any of the money.  We don’t have a house right now, we’re staying with my uncle in South Dakota. My dad is trying to find new work, and he’s desperate for money.  My mom’s will is tied up in litigation, that’s what my Uncle Bobby says. That means my mom had money, but my dad can’t touch it. She was going to divorce my dad before she died, and she changed her will last year so only me and Sam will get her money, but we won’t get it until we’re both 21.  She did that so my dad can’t touch our money. He’s trying to though. He wants to take all of it.”

“That is…seven more summers? I will miss you for seven more summers?”  Now it was Castiel with tears in his eyes. Dean scooted closer, not caring that his shorts were getting soaked, and wiped the tears from his friend’s eyes.

“No, Cas, I’ll be back before that, but I’m not sure when.  I didn’t tell anybody about you, not even Sam. I want you to be safe, so I can’t tell them why I want to come and stay in Florida.  I wish I was…what are you again? What’s the word?” Dean asked.

“Humans long time ago call us  Seirína ; we say  Kynigós .”

“Humans have a word for what you are?  People have seen you before? I thought you hid from humans.”  Dean had never been told this before. He’d always assumed he was the only one to see a  Kynigós .  That was silly when he really thought about it.  He couldn’t have been the  _ only _ person to ever see one in all of history.  Maybe the words weren’t something only the  Kynigós knew.  Maybe they were from a human language.

“Long time ago we no have to hide.  Humans not have boats, not come out far into the water.  We were safe. When humans make boats and come into  Kynigós water, they see us and say we are beautiful.  We were a god to them. They taught my people their words.  Their…language. We not need to talk with other  Kynigós , but humans not hear us the way we hear each other.”  Castiel tapped his temple.

“You speak, oh, what’s the word.” Dean thought for a moment.  “Telepathically! Yeah, that’s the word. You speak using your minds, not your mouths, right?”

“Yes, we speak here.”  Castiel tapped his temple again.  “Under water we cannot use mouth to speak.”

“Ok, but why did you start hiding from humans?”  Dean asked. Castiel frowned.

“Humans lie.  They call us beautiful, want to mate with us, but then they kill us, make us die.  Then they call us monsters and say we make their boats crash, but that not true. They came into  _ our _ waters, where we sun on rocks and hunt for food, and rocks make them crash.  Sky go black, water fall from sky, water get angry and throw boats on rocks. Many humans die, over and over.  So they call us monsters, come hunt  _ us _ , kill us.  We kill them so we not die.  Then my people say we must hide from humans.  There were almost no  Kynigós left.  Humans kill many, many  Kynigós .  We go to new waters, where there were no humans, and for long time we not see any.  Then we see ones with brown skin. Not like your skin. We hide from them but they saw us.  They too called us gods, but they not hurt us. Then the humans with skin like you came. They killed the humans with the brown skin.  My people watched them kill the brown humans right here, on this beach. We cry for them. No more brown humans came for long, long time.  Then no more came at all, only light humans. They speak different from you, not English. They take our food, they hunt everything. More humans come and then ones came that speak English.  We hide from all of them. It was not safe. They see us, they capture us or they kill us, so mom and dad say stay away from humans.”

Dean listened, fascinated by his friend’s words.  He’d asked questions before and he knew a little about the  Kynigós , but not all of  _ this _ .  He was ashamed to be human, knowing how cruel and heartless his own species could be.

“I am so sorry, Cas.  Humans can be evil and cruel, even to our own kind, but I would  _ never _ hurt you.  I would never let anyone else hurt you either.  I’d kill  _ them _ to keep you safe.”

Castiel smiled at his friend and reached out to take his hand.

“I trust, Dean.  Mom and dad do not.  They think all humans monsters.  If they know I have human friend, they kill me.”

“What?  Your parents would  _ kill you _ ?!”  The very thought that Castiel’s parents would kill him simply for being friends with him enraged Dean.

“It is ok, Dean.  My family, they stay deep in water.  They do not come to surface. I come to surface day I meet you to see sun and land, but I no go close to shore.  I not want humans see me. But I saw you. You almost die, so I hold you up. Humans not able to breathe in water, Dad say.  You not scared of me, and you did not hurt me. I say, mom and dad wrong about humans. Now I know they not. Humans bad, but not all. Some good, like you.”

“Humans get scared really easily.  They tend to kill what they don’t understand.  It’s wrong, and I hate that they do that. I will come back, Cas, and when I do, I will keep you safe.”

“I know, Dean.  I keep you safe, too.” 

Dean smiled.  A thought suddenly came to him as he remembered something Castiel had said earlier.

“You said humans tried to mate with your people.  Did they really?”

“Yes.  My people, they were all black like this,”  Castiel lifted one of his tentacles. “But we had face like human, and hair like human.  They mate with us and make us like them.  Kynigós change.  We have light skin here,”  He ran a hand down his chest.  “And black here.” He touched one of his tentacles again. 

“Dude, people had sex…with octopi?”  Dean wrinkled his nose. “That’s so weird!”

“Why weird?  We are not octopi.”  Castiel grumbled, crossing his hands over his chest. 

“You were something else then.  Humans can have babies though? With  Kynigós ?”

“I do not know.  That is what Mom say.  I only know mate with other  Kynigós .  We mate for life.”

Dean scooched forward again until his toes brushed against one of Castiel’s tentacles.  He grinned when the soft sucker pads on the underside of it reached out to touch him.

“We don’t call it mating.  We call it getting married.  My mom and dad were married. They were supposed to be together forever, but my dad has a drinking problem.  Mom was going to take us and we were going to live with my Grandpa Campbell. That’s my mom’s dad. Then the fire happened.”  Dean’s smile faded. He didn’t want to think bad about his dad, but sometimes he wondered if his father hadn’t set the fire himself.

“You want to mate…married with human?”  Castiel asked.

“Honestly?  No. But I don’t really think about stuff like that. Only grownups get married. I start high school this fall, and that’s going to be scary. And hard.”

“What…high school?”

“You know how I go to school and learn things, then I come here and teach you stuff?”  Dean asked. Castiel nodded. He loved learning things when Dean came. “Well, high school is bigger.  There are lots more kids and we learn really hard stuff, but it’s all kind of boring. I have to do it though. It’s the law.  I have to finish all of high school before I can come back here to stay. Then I have to find a job.”

“So you have money.  Job give you money,” Castiel said.

“Right.  I don’t know what kind of job I can get though,” Dean sighed.

“Do job on water?  On boat?” Castiel suggested.  Dean smirked at his friend.

“It’s a thought, but I’d be worried the whole time that we might accidentally capture one of your kind.”

“You capture us, you cut rope, set free.  You keep us safe.”

Dean realized he was right.  What better place to be than on a boat, monitoring what was caught so the  Kynigós would always be safe.

“You’re right.  I can keep you and your people safe if I’m on a boat, making sure no one gets caught in the nets or traps.  That’s really smart, Cas.”

“You come soon?  Not seven summers?”  Castiel asked eagerly.

“I will come in four summers.  I can’t legally come before that,” Dean explained. 

“Four summers is long.  I scared you find mate, not come.”  Castiel was looking at him with the saddest blue eyes.  Dean moved farther into the surf, feeling how Castiel’s tentacles gently wrapped around him, holding him up so he didn’t sink.

“Cas, I promise I won’t find a…mate.  I don’t, I…” Dean blushed hard. He ran his fingers softly over the tentacle wrapped around him.  “I love…you. I don’t want some girl like my dad wants. It’s why I want to come back here, so I can be with you.”

Castiel made a noise that reminded Dean of a bird chirping as he nuzzled against his neck.

“You want mate Castiel?”

“I-I think, yeah?  Like I said, I’m kinda not thinking about stuff like that yet.  I’ve never even kissed anyone.”

“What is kiss?”  Castiel asked. Dean kissed his friend’s forehead and when Castiel sat back and looked at him, his eyes wide with wonder, he snickered. 

“That’s a kiss, but humans do it on the lips when they love someone.”

Castiel touched his own lips.  “A kiss is sign of love?”

“Sometimes people kiss just to kiss, but some people kiss only the people they love.”  Dean explained.

“You will kiss Castiel?”

Dean smiled even though his cheeks were on fire.  This conversation was embarrassing. 

“Do you want me to kiss you?”

Castiel smiled and nodded.  “I want kiss. I love you.”

Dean licked his lips, his eyes flickering between Castiel’s bright blue ones.  He leaned forward and kissed him softly. When he sat back his friend was looking at him in wonder. 

“Was that…ok?”

“I like kiss.  When you come back you will kiss Castiel more?”

Dean grinned at Castiel’s enthusiasm.  “Yeah, ok, if you want to.”

“You not forget me.  You come back, stay with Castiel?” 

“I promise I’ll come back.”

Castiel touched his lips and smiled.  He wanted more kisses. He wanted Dean here with him, always.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
> 


	5. Chapter 5

Watching Dean leave was painful.  It would be so long before he saw his friend again, and he knew his parents would soon be pushing for him to find a mate, another  Kynigós , and have  neossoí , but he didn’t want  neossoí with another  Kynigós .  He wanted them with Dean. 

When they left for warmer waters, to go to the breeding grounds that year, he was not permitted to go off and explore with his younger siblings.  His dad forced him to stay there, to let unmated  Kynigós attempt to court him.  When he lashed out, biting and clawing at them to keep them away, his dad grew angry.  He was punished terribly. By the time they left the breeding grounds he had been threatened that if he didn’t choose a mate the following breeding season, he would be made to leave the colony. A  Kynigós without a colony to protect them was basically a death sentence. He could stay during the winter months, the  karcharíes migrated and the waters were safer.  Cold waters were not a problem, it was the scarcity of food that was an issue.  It would mean more hours hunting, and storing food. That mean finding a way to contain the  psári he caught, and keeping them alive until he was ready to eat them. It was a daunting task, but he would do it.  Nothing his dad or mom said would make him take another  Kynigós as his mate.

The first winter alone was difficult.  He almost died when, after finding a fishing crate that was lost when a boat was caught in a storm, he repaired it and began using it to put his  psári in.  Then, after a moderately successful hunt during the coldest part of winter, he returned to his den to find that something, most likely an octopus, had broken in and eaten everything he’d caught up to that point.  Enraged, he put the new  psári into the crate and went in search of the creature that had stolen his food.  He was unsuccessful and three more times over the coldest part of winter, when food was most scarce, his crate was invaded and his food consumed.  He survived on a diet of octopus, crab, and plants that grew on the ocean floor. 

Winter turned to spring, and then to summer.   Kynigós came around, attempting to lure him into mating with them but he closed himself up in his den, ignoring them all.  He hid from his  patéras especially as the older  Kynigós was still angry with him and would kill him if he caught him.

Year after year passed and he learned to hunt more efficiently.  Every summer he went to the surface, checking to see if Dean had possibly come back, despite what he had said about school and humans not being allowed to leave their parents.  Three and a half years he lived on his own. He had fought  karcharíes , p hoka , and once, a migrating pod of orcas had come through, hunting him until he went too deep for even them to go and hid in an empty cave.  That had been terrifying. He’d lost two tentacles in his escape, but he counted it has a minor loss since he managed to stay alive. They eventually grew back anyway.

The fourth summer after Dean left, he rose to the surface, expecting another year without his friend, but to his shock, there Dean was.  At first he almost didn’t recognize him. Dean had changed. He was taller, tanner, his muscles well defined, his shoulders much broader, but he knew it was his friend when Dean hurried into the water, smiling wide.

“Cas!”

“Dean!”  He rushed into Dean’s waiting arms and hugged him tight. 

“I came early.  I couldn’t stay there anymore.  My dad, he-he’s not the wonderful father I had when I was little.  My uncle kicked him out, kept Sam and me, but I needed to come here.  I couldn’t stay away from you any longer. I worked real hard in school so I could graduate early, then I packed my bags and came straight here.  I got here almost six months ago, right after my 18 th birthday, but you didn’t come until now.  I realized that you probably were only looking for me in the summertime.”

“Dean, Dean, I missed you, I missed you all time you go South Dakota,” Castiel cried as he wrapped himself around his friend.  “I missed you.”

“I missed you too, so much.”  Dean murmured. He kissed Castiel’s temple softly and hugged him more.

They stayed like that, hidden between the rocks that blocked any view from the beach, clinging to one another for a long time before Dean finally pulled back to get a good look at his friend.  Castiel no longer looked like a scrawny teenager, like Dean had the last time they’d seen one another. No, he had broad shoulders, thick biceps that rippled when he moved, showing the sheer strength lying under his skin, and his chest was muscular too.  Dean assumed it came from all the time spent hunting, and probably fighting off things like sharks and other things that wanted to eat him.

“Cas, you, uh, you really grew up.”

“Grew up?”  Castiel cocked his head curiously.  “Not know ‘grew up’.”

“You matured.  You’re an adult now, right?”  Dean tried to clarify.

“Oh, yes, Castiel adult.”  He frowned, looking away and hoping Dean didn’t notice, but he did.  Tipping Castiel’s face up so he could look him in the eye, he saw the concern on his friend’s face.

“What’s wrong, Cas?  What happened?”

“Breeding season, after you leave, dad try make me choose mate.  Make me breed and have  neossoí .  When I say no, he punish me.  I say no again next breeding season, and he tell me I not part of colony anymore.  I go, I live in den far away but I come in summer to see if you come back.”

“Cas, your dad kicked you out?  Like, completely? You’re not allowed to ever go back?”

Castiel shook his head.  “No. But is ok. I learn to hunt better.  I stay in winter, hunt for food. Humans on boat loose box in storm.  I take box, fix it and use it for  psári .  Until stupid octopus come one winter and eat my  psári .”  He growled and glared off into the distance for a second.  “I eat octopus.”

Dean chuckled.  “Good, stupid octopus for eating your food.  I thought they were smart.”

“Octopus smart.  Get in box but not open door.  Eat my  psári , leave without opening box.  I very angry that winter. Not catch octopus that winter.  Catch next winter.”

“So, where are you living now?  You don’t still live here?” Dean asked.

“No.  I not stay or  Kynigós hunt  _ me _ .  Kill me.  Dad say, I die for not breeding.”

“Shit, Cas, that’s…”  Deah cupped his face, holding it between his hands as he looked him in the eye.

“Dean kiss Castiel?  Kiss now?” Castiel asked eagerly.  Dean smiled shyly.

“You know I want to.  Come here.” 

Castiel wrapped his arms around Dean, melting against his human as his tentacles did the same.  Their lips met in a tender, almost reverent kiss that left them both smiling like fools.

 

“I really, really missed you Cas.”

 

“I miss you, Dean.  Miss you so much.” Castiel murmured as he laid his head on Dean’s shoulder.  “Where live now? Live there?” He lifted his head again and pointed up at the condos.

 

“No, I’m staying at a motel not far from here.  I think maybe my Uncle Bobby would have let me use the condo; he bought it after my mom died, but I didn’t tell him where I was going.  He would have tried to stop me, so I snuck out in the middle of the night and left a message. Since he doesn’t know I’m even in Florida, I have to pay for my own place,” Dean explained.

 

“Dean has money?  Can stay?”

 

“I only have so much money.  I still have to find a job. Humans need money for everything.  There’s very little that we don’t need it for. I had a job back in South Dakota; I worked in my uncle’s garage.  It paid ok since I don’t have a mechanic’s license, but I saved every penny I earned so I’d have enough to live off of once I got here, until I could find a good job that pays me enough to live close to the water.  I want to stay close to you.” Dean brushed his fingers through Castiel’ wet hair. It was longer than he remembered, and rather shaggy, like he was using something sharp he found in the water to cut it.

 

“I help you.  I find things on ocean floor and save for Dean come back.  Have shiny things, and gold. Have things that look like gold but not gold.  Is good for money?” Castiel asked. “I have cave here, I hide things for you.  I have things in new den, in warm water too. Many things for money. Red, green, pretty, not pretty, all for Dean.”  

 

“Yeah?  Well, we’ll take a look at all of it over the next few days, ok?”  Dean smiled.

 

“Yes, Dean.”  He would do anything Dean asked of him.

 

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Dean spent the next two weeks trying to figure out what his next step was.  At only 18, with only a high school diploma and a few thousand in his pocket, he wasn’t exactly sure what to do.  Castiel had moved away from Florida, which meant finding a job here was pointless. Castiel would move back here if he stayed, and that would put him in too much danger, so going to where he lived now was what was best for Castiel.  Figuring out where it was that he lived was Dean’s current challenge.

 

Castiel began slowly hauling up everything he’d scavenged off the seafloor and bringing it to Dean at night, when there wasn’t anyone on the beach.  Dean went through everything, piece by piece. Most of it was junk or so damaged from its time in the water that there wasn’t much he could do with it.  But there were some bits Castiel had found that got Dean 

__

__  
excited, like the diamond rings he found, the gold doubloons, the hundreds of years old swords locked away in chests on long-forgotten pirate ships, precious gems, pearls, and more.  Every time Dean got excited over something he found, Castiel would eagerly return to the ocean floor to search for more. Within a couple of weeks Dean realized he was sitting on hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of precious gems, gold, and antique artifacts.

 

One of the first things he did was rent a safe deposit box.  He couldn’t keep the things Castiel was finding at the motel, and he couldn’t carry them around, not until he knew how to liquidate them.  After some Googling he learned that old things, like the doubloons that were found inside a sunken ship, he could possibly be forced to turn over, in which case he wouldn’t make any profit off them, so he hoarded them and stuffed them into a series of safety deposit boxes until he could figure out a safe way to turn them into cold, hard cash.  There had been so many in the ship, in a series of chests that Castiel had dragged up to the surface. (That would have been impossible for a human to do, considering that each one was filled to overflowing with coins. It was a testament to just how strong Castiel was that he was able to haul them to the surface with ease). Even at only 18, Dean knew that with the conversion rate, the high price of gold, and the sheer number of coins meant he was probably in possession of several hundred  _ million _ dollars.  

 

After his initial excitement, and the near heart attack when Castiel hauled up  _ six _ of the chests, just from one ship, he had gone the very next morning to get the deposit boxes.  It had taken him multiple trips to the bank in order to get all of the coins safely stowed away, and he’d barely managed that before Castiel located another ship, this one with gold bars.  He’d told Castiel to see if he could travel farther out, into international waters to hunt for ships and their treasures, which meant he had to be especially careful of all the dangers that entailed.  Sometimes he’d be gone for days at a time and Dean would worry endlessly while he was forced to wait for his dear friend’s return. When, after a run-in with a particularly tenacious Great White, Castiel returned almost completely empty handed, save for several bags of precious stones, including two bags of just loose diamonds, and missing several of his limbs.  After that, Dean told him they had enough money to live off of for the rest of their lives, and that he didn’t need to look for anything else. That made the  Kynigós proud knowing he’d provided for his mate.

 

It was nearing the end of summer by the time Dean had broken down and contacted his uncle and told him where he was.  Bobby had been...furious, to put it mildly, but he’d told him to stay put, because his father was looking for him.

 

“He’s still trying to squeeze blood from a turnip, your old man is,”  Bobby had griped on a late-night call home to South Dakota. Dean hadn’t been able to go any longer without checking on Sam, and checking to see if their father was up to no good again.  Apparently he was.

 

“He still going on about how I ‘owe’ him, and how I need to give him my inheritance when it comes in?”  Dean hadn’t been able to stop the sarcasm and disdain from bleeding through into his voice, but thankfully his uncle hadn’t been upset, just worn out from dealing with another drunken visit from John a few days earlier.

 

“He is, and he tried to take Sam this last time.  I kicked him out and told him that when he can be sober for longer than a few hours and wants more than money from his kids, he’s welcome to come back, but not until then.  I nearly had to put my boot in his ass,” Bobby grumbled.

 

Dean had made the call from his usual spot between the rocks on the beach, and Castiel was half in the water and half out, watching him in fascination as he talked on the phone.  Getting to make the phone call at all had meant allowing Castiel to investigate the phone first. He’d upgraded, bought a waterproof one, then he’d slapped a waterproof case on it for good measure.  Better to be safe than sorry. He buried his toes in the sand and frowned.

 

“He can’t take Sam though, right?  I mean, he  _ is _ our dad.”

 

“Nah, I filed for custody, and it was granted.  He can’t take Sam anywhere.” Bobby sighed. “What on earth would make you go back to Florida?  And where in the hell are you staying?”

 

“I got a motel room.  I always told you I was coming back here.  This is home to me, not Kansas, not South Dakota.  I  _ need _ to be here.”

 

Bobby was quiet for a moment.  “What are you doing for money? You think you’re just gonna traipse off to Florida with a couple bucks in your pocket and suddenly everything will be fine and dandy?  That’s not how life works, Dean.”

 

“I know, Bobby.  I, uh, I have...treasure, stuff pulled up off the ocean floor.  I don’t know how to sell it though to get actual cash.” Dean chewed at his lower lip until Castiel mad a low, trilling sound and reached up to pluck the tender flesh from between his teeth.  He smiled at his friend and reached out to brush his fingers through his hair.

 

“What kind of stuff?”

 

Dean couldn’t help but grin.  “I have gold, Bobby, and lots of it.  Gold bricks, gold doubloons, or at least, I am pretty sure they are doubloons.  I looked them up online and that’s what I think they are, and I have like, 12 bags of precious stones, including a few bags of just loose diamonds.  I, um, got one diamond appraised, just to make sure they weren’t just crystals. They’re not, they’re real diamonds. The one I had appraised is worth about $5,000.  I sold it for $3,000 cause I needed the money.”

 

On the other end of the line he heard his uncle swear loudly.  “Boy, are you pulling my leg?”

 

“No, sir.  I’m sitting on at least a cool mil, if not twice that.”  Dean replied. His uncle swore even louder that time. In the background he heard his brother asking what was wrong.

 

“Don’t sell anything else.  You hide whatever it is you have found until I make some calls, you hear?”

 

“Ok.  Who are you going to call?”  Dean was curious. He didn’t know his uncle to have too many friends.  The man was bristly and he tended to rub most people the wrong way until they got to know him.  Dean thought he was just a big teddy bear.

 

“I have a friend near there.  You just sit tight and wait for my call, you hear?  Don’t spend extravagantly, don’t draw attention to yourself, and for Christ’s sake,  _ don’t _ cash in anymore diamonds!”  Bobby warned.

 

“Ok, I won’t.”  Dean had worried when he’d sold the diamond to the creepy guy at the pawn shop.  He’d lied and said he found it buried in the sand at the beach, and then named a beach 2o miles away just to be safe.

 

“I’ll make some calls now.  You go stay at the condo, but don’t keep any of that gold or stuff there, you hear?  It’s not safe.”

 

“I put it in a series of safe deposit boxes.  That’s good, right?” Dean wanted to be reaffirmed that he’d done the right thing.

 

“Yes, but make sure you hide those keys somewhere safe.  Keep your phone on, I’ll be in touch,” Bobby said.

 

“I will.”  

 

When they hung up, Dean looked at Castiel thoughtfully.

 

“I need you to do me a favor.”

 

“What is favor?  I do not know this word.”  Castiel tilted his head curiously.

 

“I need to give you something, so you can keep it safe.  Can you do that for me?” Dean asked.

 

“Yes.  What will you give me?”

 

Dean pulled a chain from around his neck.  Hanging on the end was a series of keys. He placed it in his friend’s hand.

 

“You say you have a cave somewhere, right?  It’s dry? Can you put these in there? If they get wet, they’ll rust, and then I can’t open the locks they go to, where the gold is.  When I ask for them, then you give them to me.”

 

“Yes, I have safe place to keep them.  I will keep them safe for you, Dean.” Castiel passed the chain over one of his tentacles that wrapped tightly around it.

 

“Is that how you’re going to get them to the cave so they don’t get wet?”  Dean asked.

 

“Yes.  No water.  Keep safe from water.”  Castiel nodded.

 

“Thanks.”  Dean smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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	6. Chapter 6

The next morning Dean was woken up by the sound of his phone ringing.  Just as he reached for it, he caught a flash of movement outside the window.  Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he got up and went to pull back the curtain. He looked at the caller id and saw that it was Bobby calling, and he answered the phone as he opened the door to see who had been standing at his window.

 

“Hey,” he greeted his uncle, frowning as he caught another glimpse of someone as they turned the corner at the end of the landing.  Someone tall, lanky, and looking suspiciously like the guy he’d sold the diamond to a few days earlier.

 

“So I talked to a buddy of mine that served with me.  He lives about sixty miles from where you’re at right now.  I told him I’ll meet him there, and we’re going to cover your ass.  Now listen, you still in that there motel?” Bobby asked.

 

“Yeah, but I’m pretty sure the guy I sold that diamond to was just here, staring in my window.  I only closed the sheer curtains; I forgot to close the heavy ones. I didn’t tell him where I was staying, so if that’s him, I have no idea how he found me.”  Dean stepped back into his room and closed the door. Then he locked it and threw the bolt. Better safe than sorry. He worried that the pawnbroker might have followed him down to the beach.  It put Castiel in danger. He would kill anyone that even  _ thought _ about laying a finger on Cas.  It was important that they escape Florida, and soon.

 

“I’m on my way down there now.  I’ve been driving all night. Make sure you’re not being followed and meet me at the condo.  I’ll have someone meet you. Surly looking black man by the name of Rufus. He has the spare key.  He’ll let you in. Wait for me until I get there. Leave your car in the motel parking lot and walk.  Pay attention to your surroundings, boy. If you see someone suspicious, or the pawn shop guy again, duck into the nearest business and call me immediately.  I’m about three hours out. You sit your ass in the condo until I get there.”

 

“What about Sam?”  Dean asked as he put the phone on speaker and hurried to get dressed.

 

“He’s with me.  You really think I’d leave him where your father could find him?”  Bobby scoffed. “He’s currently asleep in the back.”

 

Dean stuffed everything he had laying out into his bags and went back to the window, peeking out, but there was no one on the landing.  That didn’t mean the guy wasn’t lingering. Cas was expecting him at the beach soon. He had no way to let his friend know about the danger.  He wasn’t leaving Castiel in the dark permanently though. The Kynigós was going to be getting a crash course very soon in cell phones, as soon as he could get one down to the water.

 

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After turning on the TV and pulling the curtains, Dean hoisted his bag up on his shoulder and slipped out of the room.  The pawn shop guy was nowhere to be seen, and no one was looking at him funny as he skirted the parking lot and headed for the front.  If the guy was watching him, he was likely doing it from the parking lot, expecting him to come for his car. That gave him the advantage of putting time and space between him and his creepy stalker.

 

He paid in the office for another two weeks, just to be safe, and after leaving from the direction that didn’t take him past the parking lot, he slipped away quietly, ducking down side streets and cutting through yards until he reached a convenience store.  There was an advertisement in the window for pay as you go cell phones, so he went in and bought one, along with the largest minute card the store sold. After leaving, he carefully picked his way over to the condo where he found a man waiting, standing outside the door with his arms crossed.

 

“You Dean?”  His tone was even more gruff than Bobby’s and while he was used to his uncle’s tone, he was not quite sure what to make of this man.

 

“UH, yeah?”

 

The man grunted in a away that sounded more like a growl than anything.

 

“About time you got here.”

 

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Dean stood at the windows, staring out at the water.  Castiel was out there somewhere, probably looking for him.  There was no way to sneak down to the water, not with Rufus sitting at the table in the living room/kitchen, arms crossed, watching him like he was some kind of bug under a microscope.  If he tried to leave, he didn’t put it past the man to tie him to the bed or something. He just had to be patient and wait for Bobby, which was what he’d been doing for hours now.

 

“What’s wrong with you?  Don’t teenagers usually sit on their asses, watching TV and gorging themselves?”  Rufus asked when, for the third time now, Dean went to look out at the water. He was worried about Castiel’s safety.  

 

“I’m not most teenagers.  I have better things to do.  More important things.” Dean mumbled, thinking the man hadn’t heard him but apparently he had keener hearing than a man his age should have.

 

“What the hell made you drop out of high school to come back here”?  Is that your ‘More important things’? Doesn’t seem so bright to me, coming here with no money, no job, and no real place to live.”

 

Dean turned away from the window to look the man dead in the eye.

 

“I’m sure my uncle told you that’s not the case at all.  I graduated early, I didn’t drop out, and I  _ have _ money.  This place was always more of a home to me than Kansas was, or even South Dakota was.  I...have something special here, and I’m not going back.” He held his chin high as Rufus stared him down.  To his surprise the man snorted and relaxed back in his seat.

 

“I like you, Dean, and I don’t like very many people.  Your uncle told me you came across some...things, and you need to find the right market for them, so you don’t attract any unwanted attention.”

 

Dean moved to one of the empty chairs at the table and sat down.

 

“I think it’s too late for that.”

 

Rufus’ frown was more of a scowl, but Dean was starting to figure the guy out.  He was more worried than anything.

  
  


What exactly do you mean?”

 

Dean explained about taking the diamond and pawning it to have extra money, and how he’d looked up places he could do it that would be discreet and not draw attention to him, but that he was pretty sure the pawn shop he’d gone to, the owner was now following him, and he’d been staring in the window of Dean’s motel room this morning but had run off when Dean started to wake up.

 

“So Uncle Bobby told me to leave my car and come here.  I’m not leaving my car there to get towed though. Then my dad can find me.  She’s a classic.”

 

“Don’t worry about the car; I’ll arrange to have it safely removed from the parking lot.  You say you went to Hanson Jewelry and Pawn?” Rufus asked. Dean nodded.

 

“Yeah.  Creepy guy behind the counter is who I did business with.”

 

Rufus made a tent with his fingers and pressed them against his lips for a moment before dropping them and leaning forward to put an elbow on the table.  “Was he thin, nasally, talked with a weird sort of singsong lilt to his voice?”

 

“Yeah, that’s him.”  Dean felt a sense of dread when he saw the scowl return to Rufus’ face.

 

“That man is dangerous.  His name is Alastair Hanson, and he owns the pawn shop, yeah, but there are rumors swirling about that he killed several people to get his hands on whatever expensive stuff they had.  One guy, had jewels, mostly rubies, sapphires, and a few diamonds. He only sold a small amount to Alistair, and three days later he turned up dead, looked like a suicide, but the autopsy turned up some things that ruled that out.  The jewels were gone, but word on the street was that Alastair was in possession of them and was moving them. You don’t have the rest of whatever you sold him on you right now, do you?”

 

“Hell no.  I might be young, but I’m not stupid, and I was mostly raised by Bobby after my mom died.  He taught me and my brother to both watch our backs, and cover our asses. Even coming here I made extra sure that I wasn’t being followed.”  Dean remembered the phone sitting in his bag. He needed to get it set up and bring it down to Castiel. Tonight. If it wasn’t safe to be  _ with _ Castiel, then he wanted to at least be able to talk to him.  

 

“Good.”  Rufus nodded, satisfied with Dean’s answer.

 

The front door opened a few minutes later and Sam came stumbling through, his arms laden down with bags.  He smiled when he spotted his brother.

 

“Hey, Dean.”

 

Hey, Sammy, where’s Uncle Bobby?”

 

“Right here.”  Bobby walked in, his own arms weighed down with bags.  Dean jumped up to help him as he kicked the door shut behind him.

 

“What is all this?  It looks like you guys moved down here.”

 

“Uncle Bobby says we’re staying here for the summer.  This stuff is our clothes. He’s got the food,” Sam explained as he started waddling down the hall to the bedrooms.  Dean had tossed his bags on his old bed and as he watched, Sam disappeared into his old room. 

 

“Did you sleep, old man?”  Rufus asked as he got up to grab a couple of the bags and help put them in the kitchen.

 

“I drove through, only stopped for a bathroom breaks and so your giraffe of a brother could stretch his legs.  Now that I’m here, we’re going to talk about this mess you got yourself into, so Rufus can get going, then I’m going to bed.  If you so much as make a sound before tomorrow morning, I’ll come in here and tan your hide, then toss you into the ocean myself.” Bobby grumbled as he set the bags of food down on the counter.  “You’re putting all of this away, you hear?”

 

“Ye, sir.”  Dean started pulling cans of vegetables and stew out of one of the bags but paused when Bobby tapped his arm.

 

“Come sit down for a minute.  Let’s talk about this before the coffee I had an hour ago wears off.”

 

Dean followed him and Rufus back to the table.  He noticed Sam wasn’t coming back. He’d likely been told to stay in his room and unpack so he wouldn’t overhear anything that could possibly get back to their dad.

 

“So you  _ found _ gold and diamonds?”  Bobby asked.

 

“Yes…”  Dean hedged.  Bobby arched an eyebrow.

 

“What did you do?  Did you steal stuff?”

 

“No, I didn’t steal anything.”  Dean scoffed. His uncle should know him better than that.

 

“Then how on earth did you come across millions in gold and gems?” his uncle pressed.

 

“Wait, did you say  _ millions?!” _  Rufus’ eyebrows shot almost up to his hairline.  It was an impressive feat, if Dean did say so.

 

“How I got them is not important, only that I have them now.  They were not obtained by illegal means, they were pulled up from the ocean floor.  I just need to sell them, or liquidate them or  _ something _ , so I have money.”  

 

“What is so desperate that you need that much money for?”  Rufus was genuinely curious now but Dean didn’t know him, and he didn’t know if he could trust him.  Just because his uncle trusted him didn’t mean he should.

 

“That’s my business.  Can you help me do it?”

 

“Well, yes, but I usually like to know  _ why _ I’m sticking my neck out.  If Alastair Hanson finds out how much you have, he’ll kill you to get at it.  You can’t be caught going back to that motel, or really, anywhere in the city. He has resources, and he’s not shy about using them.  I know you want to stay in the city, something brought you back, but you can’t. You need to get as far away from here, and away from Alastair, as possible.”  Rufus scratched absently at his chin as he talked, but it didn’t sound to Dean like he was backing out.

 

“I can’t say anything more than that I have the gold and other stuff, and I need it changed into currency I can use.  Then I need to, like, get those offshore bank accounts, where no one else can touch my money, you know? They have that stuff in more than just movies, right?”  Dean looked between the two older men, who shared an incredulous look.

 

“They exist.  You want to open an account in the Cayman Islands.  That means getting on a plane. You willing to do that?”  Bobby asked him. Dean thought of Castiel, of his beautiful smile and his almost ethereal blue eyes. He thought of his friend’s trust in him, his love, and he knew he’d do anything to keep Castiel and his people safely away from humans.

 

“Yes.  And I plan to move away from here.  I don’t want to stay here.” 

 

“Well ok then.  First step is determining exactly how much you’ve come into possession of, and exactly what you have so I know whether I can move it or not.  We’ll work on that first thing in the morning,” Rufus said. “For now, everyone get a good night’s sleep.”

 

“Damn right, I could sleep for a week!”  Bobby declared. Dean glanced at the clock on the wall.  It was almost five. Around midnight he would sneak down to the beach and give the phone to Castiel.  He just had to be patient.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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	7. Chapter 7

Rufus left a few minutes later, saying he was going to talk to some contacts he had about moving the gems first, since that’s most likely what Alistair would be after, and Bobby headed to bed. Dean put the groceries away before heading to his room to set up the phone for Castiel and charge it.

 

He had just programmed the number into his phone so he could call Castiel throughout the day, and added his own number into the new phone for Castiel to call him, when Sam knocked at the partially open door.

 

“Hey,”  Dean greeted him.  

 

“Hey.”  Sam wiped his hands on his jeans and stepped into the room.  “Can I ask, why did you leave? I know you never seemed happy there, but...why here?  Why did you come back here? Does it make you think of Mom?”

 

Dan glanced at the picture frame on the nightstand.  It was of him and his mom when he was about ten, baking in the kitchen.  He hadn’t been back here since the summer after his mom died, and when he’d packed up to go back to South Dakota he’d been so upset about not getting to see Castiel again for such a long time that he’d forgotten to take it home with him.  It had been here the whole time. She had been so beautiful. That was right before his parents’ marriage had started to go south.

 

“I miss Mom, but that’s not why I came back here.  You wouldn’t understand, at least, not yet. One day I want to tell you, when you’re ready.  It will make sense then, or at least, I hope it will.” Dean sighed and brushed his fingers through his short locks.  He knew he was being cryptic, but he didn’t trust anyone with Castiel’s safety. Not even Sam. His little brother tended to be a blabbermouth.

 

“But it’s important to you.”  Sam made his way slowly over to the bed and sat down next to his brother.

 

“It’s the most important thing in the world to me,” Dean replied solemnly.

 

“Ok,” Sam said.  Dean stared at the side of his head for a long moment.

 

“Ok?  You’re not going to nag and whine and bug me until I tell you?”

 

Sam turned to face him, smiling calmly.

 

“No.  You and Uncle Bobby always say I need to grow up, and you’re right.  I’m not a little kid anymore, so I need to stop always needing to get my own way.  Do I  _ want _ to know your secrets?  Yes! Absolutely! But if you don’t want to tell them to me, then...I guess it’s cause you have your reasons, and I should worry about myself.  You’ll tell me when you’re ready, and then I can help you in whatever way you need. But I promise you this; I will  _ not _ tell Dad where we are.  Uncle Bobby told the guys at the garage that we went east, to visit family, in case Dad comes back.  He stopped by after you left. He was super drunk, picked a fight with Ellen who was over visiting, and Dad was, like, fall down drunk, and demanding again that we should sign the money over to him.  He...called Mom a selfish bitch for not leaving him anything. I called the police before he even started with Ellen, so Uncle Bobby didn’t have to get hurt throwing him out. We both know he would have lingered, breaking stuff and calling us names.  So I made sure he wouldn’t stick around. 

 

“Uncle Bobby says he’ll field calls from Dad, so I’m not supposed to pick up.  I’m supposed to avoid calls from unknown numbers too. I can only answer calls from you or Uncle Bobby.  I’m ok with that. If Dad knew we came here, he’d follow us, and we’re not in a safe enough place to stop him if he tries to hurt one of us.  I think if something happened to you, your share of the inheritance would divert to me, since you don’t have kids, and same with me if something happened to me.  If we  _ both _ died, the money would sit there, and then Dad could go to court to have it given to him.  I’m not completely sure on the laws or how that works, and I’m not sure of the fine print in the will, but I overheard Uncle Bobby telling Ellen that he wasn’t sure Dad wouldn’t hurt us to get at the money.  He’s already selling the junkyard and the shop to Victor, but he’s keeping things very hush hush until the sale is finalized. 

 

“We already packed everything up on the second floor, where, if Dad came inside, he wouldn’t see anything unusual.  Uncle Bobby is hiring people to come in and do a quick packing of the first floor and move it to wherever we get a new house, all in one day.  He says if we drag it out, Dad could show up, and then he’d raise even more hell. I think we’re staying here longer than just for the summer. We want to be wherever you are.  We’re family.

 

“So is Dad though.  This is messed up. He wouldn’t really hurt us...would he?”  Dean frowned. His dad’s descent into alcoholism and his mounting debt were a far cry from the loving, caring man he’d grown up with.  The man that had taught him how to swim, had cheered for him at his Little League baseball games, and had carried him and Sam on his shoulders when their little legs became too tired to walk anymore.  How that man he had loved so deeply as a little boy could turn into the heartless, selfish, cruel man he was now was something Dean just could not understand. He frowned and stared at the floor under his feet.  As much as he wanted to just run away with Castiel, to keep him safe, he had an obligation to his uncle and brother. He had to keep them safe, too.

 

“I’m not staying here, not for much longer, anyway.  Maybe once Rufus helps me, you and Uncle Bobby can come with us.”

 

“Us?”  Sam picked up on that word lightning fast.  “Who is ‘us’? Do you have a girlfriend?”

 

“No, I don’t.”  Dean chided himself for that mistake.

 

“Do you have a boyfriend?”  Sam asked. Dean wasn’t exactly sure how to answer that.

 

“Don’t worry about it,”  He chose to say. “I’ll talk to Uncle Bobby in the morning and as soon as Rufus helps me, I’m leaving.  I think it would be safer if you were with me too.”

 

Sam’s shoulders sagged, but he nodded.  “Good. I want to be where you are.”

 

“Go get some rest, you guys must have left while Uncle Bobby was still on the phone with me yesterday.  I know you have to be tired.” Dean nudged his brother until Sam stood up.

 

“I slept on and off in the truck, but it wasn’t comfortable.  I am really tired. I’ll see you in the morning.” Sam gave a small wave before leaving.  A moment later Dean heard the soft click as his brother’s bedroom door closed.

 

Alone again, he fished the waterproof case he’d bought for his own phone out of his duffle bag and set that on the nightstand too.  He’d need it so Cas could take the phone to hide it in his cave. It wasn’t like he could leave it on the beach. Just a few more hours and he could slip away.  It was going to be a long night.

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

It was just after midnight when Dean reached the water’s edge.  He’d watched carefully for Alastair, but he was fairly certain that he’d given the man the slip. He slipped between the rocks and peered out across the water.

 

“Cas?  You there?”

 

The tide had come in, and the water came up almost to his waist.  His eyes were trained out at the black water, and he jumped when something slippery slid between his legs and wrapped around his right thigh.  A second later a familiar set of blue eyes broke the surface and he relaxed again.

 

“Cas, you trying to give me a heart attack?”

 

Castiel rose up so that he was above the water to his waist and smiled.

 

“I not know heart attack.  I wait for you, all day. Where you were?”

 

Dean sighed and ran his fingers through his friend’s hair.  “Remember I told you that I sold one of the diamonds to get money so I could stay here until we figured out how to get to where you live now?”

 

“Yes.”  Castiel nodded.

 

“Well, the guy I sold it to, he followed me back to the motel.  I told my uncle, and he thinks the guy is suspicious that I have more diamonds.  My uncle has a friend that knows who the guy is. His name is Alastair Hanson, and he’s really bad news.  Rufus, that’s my uncle’s friend, he thinks Alastair might try to torture me and kill me to get the rest of the stuff I hid in the safety deposit boxes,” Dean explained.

 

“No.  No one hurt Dean.”  Castiel growled. “I kill Alistair he hurt Dean.”

 

“Rufus is going to help me turn the gold into money I can use, and then we’re getting out of here.  I want to get as far away as possible from Alistair, but from my dad too. Uncle Bobby came here with Sam.  They are trying to get away from my dad because they think he might hurt me or my brother. To get to the money my mom left us.”

 

Castiel frowned.  He knew what it was like to have a father that didn’t love you.

 

“Dean my family.  I love you.”

 

“I love you too.”

 

Dean went to touch Castiel’s cheek but suddenly his friend made a bizarre shrieking sound and dove under the water. 

 

“Cas, what the-” 

 

He turned to see Sam peeking through the space between the rocks, a look of guilt at having been caught etched across his face.

 

“Sam, what the hell!”

 

“I’m sorry, Dean, I saw you leave and Uncle Bobby had said we have to stay inside, and I was curious when you headed down to the beach.  Who is that guy? Is that your boyfriend? He looks…” Sam dropped his eyes in shame. “I’m sorry.”

 

Dean could still feel Castiel’s tentacle wrapped around his leg, out of sight under the water, but he’d never be able to continue talking to him if he was too scared to come to the surface.  Sam was too curious, though, and was already looking at the water where it moved differently than the tide, down around Dean’s legs. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

 

“You’re a pain in the ass, you know that?” he snapped.  “You weren’t supposed to follow me.”

 

“Who is he?”  Sam asked. “ _ What _ is he?”

 

Damn it, he’d been able to tell that something was different about Castiel, even in the dim light offered by the moon.

 

“He’s a Kynigós.  I won’t let you put his life in danger, Sammy.  He’s...he’s special, and…”

 

“You love him,” Sam finished.  Dean swallowed hard and nodded.

 

“Yeah, Sammy, I do.  I’ve loved him for a very long time now.”

 

“Can I meet him?”  Sam asked.

 

“If you tell anyone, and I mean  _ anyone, _ about him, it won’t be Dad you’ll have to worry about,” his brother warned. Sam’s eyes widened, but he nodded.  Dean motioned for him to squeeze into the space between the rocks as he reached into the water and gently stroked the tentacle around his leg.

 

“Come on, Cas, it’s ok.  Come up and meet Sam.”

 

For an excruciatingly long minute, nothing happened, then slowly a head of dark hair broke the surface.  Blue eyes filled with fear looked up at Dean as he stayed mostly submerged, only the top of his head and eyes peeking out from the water.  Dean smiled reassuringly and ran his fingers through Castiel’s hair.

 

“It’s ok, this is Sam.”

 

Castiel looked at the younger boy, now with less fear and more curiosity.  Slowly he lifted his head up until his shoulders were above the water too.

 

“Sam safe?  Sam no hurt Castiel?” he asked.

 

“I won’t hurt you, I promise,” Sam said. He glanced nervously at his brother, but Dean was busy trying to reassure Castiel, pulling him close and stroking his fingers through Castiel’s hair.

 

“Sam is safe,” Dean told him.  Castiel looked between them before his gaze settled on Sam.  When he started to move closer, Sam froze, looking worriedly at his brother for some cue on what to do.

 

“Stand still, Sam.  He just wants to know your scent.”  Dean caught his brother’s arm and held him in place as Castiel reached a tentacle out to tentatively brush against the boy’s leg.  Sam flinched, but his brother’s grip on his arm turned viselike, pinning him in place.

 

“W-what is that?” the boy whimpered as Castiel moved closer.

 

“Dean say Sam good.  He say Sam little brother.  Sam is  _ not _ little.”

 

That seemed to break the ice.  Sam laughed and Castiel grinned up at him.

 

“I did a lot of growing this last year.  I’m going to be bigger than Dean soon.”

 

“Sam big like Dean?”  Castiel looked to Dean who shrugged, even though he was smiling.

 

“Maybe he will be.”

 

“How long have you known about Castiel?”  Sam asked.

 

“Uh, I met him when I was six.  I’ve been meeting up with him every summer since, until Dad said we weren’t coming back anymore.  I promised him I’d come back.” Dean was absently rubbing Castiel’s back and he chuckled when Castiel leaned in to kiss him.

 

“You’re…”  Sam arched an eyebrow, not wanting to ask the question that might hurt Castiel’s feelings.

 

“Yeah, Sammy.  I told you, he’s special, to me, but it’s more than that.  His kind has hidden from humans for centuries because people would do awful things to him, to his brothers, his parents, and I will never let that happen.  The world cannot know about his species, you understand me?” Dean was adamant that his brother understand the gravity of what he’d just discovered. “He’s already been driven out of his family because he wouldn’t take a mate with another of his kind.  He’s on his own, and I’m all he has.”

 

Sam nodded. “I understand. I won’t tell anyone, but what are you going to do about Uncle Bobby?  Sneaking out here to see him isn’t safe. I overheard you and Uncle Bobby talking about that Alastair guy.  If there’s even a tiny chance he followed you, you could be putting Castiel in danger by coming out here.”

 

“I know, which is why I came out to give him a phone.”  Dean pulled the one he’d put in the case out of his pocket.

 

“Dean give me phone?  What phone do? Talk to Uncle Bobby?”  Castiel asked. Sam giggled, and Dean laughed as he shook his head.

 

“No, sweetheart, it’s so you can talk to me.  I won’t be able to come see you for a few days, but you can talk to me from this.  Now, you can’t get the phone wet or it won’t work.”

 

Sam watched as his brother painstakingly explained how to be able to make calls and to receive them.  Castiel, as he quickly learned, was of a far superior intelligence to humans, and he picked up on everything Dean said very quickly.  The only problem Sam saw with giving Castiel a phone was that eventually the battery would run out, and then someone would have to come collect it to charge it. 

 

“”We don’t plan to stick around long enough for that, Sammy, but if we end up having to, then I’ll have you come down to switch out the batteries.  As a precaution I bought three of these phones, just to have the extra batteries. I’ll keep the other ones charged so Cas can use his phone any time, day or night,” Dean explained when his brother raised that particular question.

 

“Smart.”  Sam was impressed.  “We better get back upstairs though before Uncle Bobby wakes up and sees we’re both gone.  I don’t want him to have a heart attack or something.”

 

Dean reluctantly nodded.  Sam could tell he wanted to stay, and that he probably would have all night if he wasn’t being stalked, and didn’t need to stay safe so he could protect Castiel.  He slipped back between the rocks, giving them some privacy and when he heard a sad, keening sound a few minutes later, he knew it was because his brother had said goodbye to Castiel.

 

When Dean slipped back between the rocks, despite the moonlight darkening the night, he could see the tears on his brother’s cheeks.

 

“We’re going to leave, right?  Where are we going? Do you know where you were going to go before we got here?”  Sam asked as they started the walk back up to the condo.

 

“No, not exactly.  Come on, we’ll talk about this upstairs.”  Dean’s eyes were sharp, looking for anyone that might be lingering along the beach, and as they approached the building, for anyone else that might be around.  There was no one though.

  
  


When they were safely upstairs and the door was locked behind them, they returned to Dean’s bedroom and closed the door.

 

“Cas was kicked out of his family, or pod, or whatever when he refused to take a mate with another of his kind.  He was waiting for me to come back. I made a promise to him, that I would always protect him. If he stays here, his father will kill him.  He found a new home, somewhere west of here, but since he doesn’t know states, I’m not sure where. I need to find a way to follow him, but safely, so no one sees him, but he stays safe as he leads me to his new home.  I need to protect him, you get it? I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him safe.” 

 

Sam listened thoughtfully to him, ideas on how to keep Castiel safe whirling around in his head.

 

“What if we got a boat?  Uncle Bobby knows how to steer one, and I bet he’d show us both if we asked.  We can get some kind of sonar, or something like that, and maybe you could like, tie it to him?  He, uh, were those... _ tentacles _ I felt touching my leg?”

 

Dean snorted at the look of discomfort on his brother’s face.  “Yeah, but don’t you  _ ever _ call him an octopus or compare him to one, he gets really pissed.  Once I got past the language barrier and told him what our word was for octopus and he learned the word, he got very ticked when I compared him to them.  He  _ eats _ octopus.  According to him, they’re not related and if you want him to  _ not _ like you, then be all means, make the comparison.  

 

“Once you get a really good look at him though, he’s not really like an octopus at all.  For starters? He has bioluminescence in his tentacles, and compared to an octopus or squid, his are extremely thick.  The thickest part of each one is thicker than my thigh, and they’re extremely strong. He can pick me up, no problem. It’s how he whips through the water to hunt for food.  We had a game when we were kids where I would name an item I thought might be on the ocean floor and he would go look for it. If he found whatever I had asked for, he’d bring it up to me.  The coins and stuff he’d found though, Dad took from me, so that last summer we came after Mom died, I asked him to collect and hide anything he found that he thought was of value. Mostly I told him to look for gold, silver, trunks of stuff, gems, stuff like that.  He spent four long years scouring the ocean floor, from here to like, Mexico, and he found enough stuff that I won’t have to ever work a day in my life if I don’t want to, and I can pay your way through college like 20 times over, at least. It might be more than that.”

 

“Really?”  Sam realized this had to have something to do with why his brother was being stalked.  “Is that why that Alastair guy is after you? He knows you have the gold and stuff?”

 

“He thinks I have diamonds.  I do, but they’re locked away in a safety deposit box along with the rest of the treasures Cas dragged up.  He was so eager to make me happy, and he comprehended the concept very quickly that humans need money to do things, but that stuff found on the ocean floor, like gold, silver, diamonds, they could be converted into cash and then I could use the money to stay here permanently.  I didn’t expect his family to turn on him though. So I have to go to where he lives now. If I stayed here, he’d risk his life to stay by me. I can’t be selfish where he’s concerned. I can live anywhere, he can’t, so I have to be the adaptable one.” Dean laid back on his bed and stared up at the ceiling.  He really wished he’d done more research, and had gone somewhere else to sell the diamond. Then maybe he wouldn’t have Alastair looking for him.

 

“There are lots of places you can hide a  Kynigós .  Can he live in the swamps?  Where the saltwater meets the fresh water?  Maybe in an area where it’s more salt than fresh?”  Sam asked. “Closer to the ocean?”

 

“I have to talk to Cas first about that,”  Dean replied.

 

As if on cue, Dean’s phone began to buzz.  He checked and was mildly surprised to see it was Castiel.  

 

“Babe?  Is something wrong?”

 

“Dean, I can hear you!” 

 

Dean chuckled in amusement.  “That’s how phones work. Is something wrong?”

 

“Dean, I see men on beach.  Tall men, he look in sand with big stick.  Man big, not like Dean or Sam. He…”

 

Castiel growled as he tried to find the right word. It clicked for Dean though, what he was trying to say.

 

“He’s fat.  You’re trying to say the man is fat.  And he’s on the beach with a stick? That’s not Alastair.  Alastair is tall and skinny, like Sam, but his hair is...white.” He’d never explained gray hair, and Castiel wouldn’t understand the reference.

 

“This men have...um...I forget word.  Like, circles? On his face.”

 

Dean smiled.  “Yes, glasses.  He’s wearing glasses, to help him see better.  It’s ok, just stay away from him, he’s only looking for stuff that might be buried in the sand.  He’s not looking for you, or for me. Where are you?”

 

“I go out, where men can’t see, near cave.  I use phone, but I am careful not to get it wet, like you say.  I put back in plastic box now. Want tell you men on beach. Dean safe?”

 

Dean didn’t care how much of a sap he seemed with his brother watching him, he had a dopey grin on his face.

 

“Yeah, baby, I’m safe.”

 

“Dean,”  Castiel managed to sound so exasperated,  “am not baby.”

 

“I’m not calling you a baby, I know you’re not a baby.  I mean it as a term of endearment. It means you’re special to me.”

 

“It mean Dean love me?”

 

Dean glanced at his brother before cupping the phone in both hands, as if that would bring him that much closer to Castiel.

 

“Yes, it means I love you.”

 

The soft trilling sound that meant Castiel was happy never ceased to make him happy too.

 

“Be safe, Dean.  See tomorrow? Promise come to see Castiel?”

 

“I will try, but like I told you, I have to work on getting the money, so we can go to your new home.  Sam has thought up a way to get us out of here safely, but him and my Uncle Bobby will be coming too. I still have to tell my uncle about you.”

 

“Ok.  But still use phone?  Talk to Castiel every day?  No more go away, Dean. No more.”

 

Castiel’s voice broke as he pleaded for Dean not to leave him again.  It made Dean’s eyes sting as he tried to stay strong.

 

“Sweetheart, I’m not going anywhere.  I’m going to see you as soon as I can.  I will still talk to you on the phone though, ok?  Remember not to get the phone wet. It won’t work if you do.”

 

“I will put it in the box now.  I love Dean. Love  _ you _ .”

 

“I love you too, Cas.  I’m going to go to sleep now.  I want  _ you _ to be safe too.”

 

When they finally hung up Sam made a gagging noise that earned him a smack in the back of the head from his brother.

 

“I can’t believe you knew about Cas all this time and you didn’t want to tell me.  He’s kind of cool. And he likes  _ you _ .  Maybe he’s not as smart as you think he is.”  

 

“Shut up, Cas is a genius.  I taught him to read the second summer we came here.  He was curious about everything I had to say, and everything I was doing.  So I’d bring books and teach him everything I was learning. Some words he could pronounce and spell before I could.  His sentence structure is a little stilted still, but that has no bearing on his intelligence. He learns so fast, and he’s taught me a lot.  I’ve been learning his words for things for years now so when we talk and he says things in his language, I know what he’s saying. I’m hoping he’ll start telling whole sentences so that I can speak his language.  I really want to hear him speak fluently. His voice is beautiful.”

 

Sam smiled.  Dean was in love, and it showed.

 

“Have you ever seen others like him?”

 

“No, Cas is the only one I’ve ever seen, but I know there are a lot more.  They’re just really good at hiding. Cas says they’re super fast in the water. I’ve seen him move really fast when he’s on the sand to get back in the water, so I can only imagine how fast he is under water.  They have to watch out for sharks and killer whales as well as humans. They mostly stay deep in the ocean and don’t come up to the surface. It was a fluke the day Cas came up. He was just a little guy, only a few years older than me, but he kept me from drowning by holding my head above the water until Dad could swim out and grab me.  Before Dad got to me, Cas ducked his head under the water, so I was all he saw.”

 

“I still can’t believe that you hid this from me all these years.  I thought stuff like that was just a myth. What, next you’re going to tell me mermaids are real? What else, Selkies?” Sam huffed out a small laugh and shook his head.

 

“Well, the mermaid part?  That’s true, but they don’t look like what mythology says they do.  Cas says his people and merfolk avoid one another like the plague because mermaids will slaughter and eat his kind.  They’re gray, scaly, lots of teeth and sharp claws. When sailors were seeing something beautiful in the water in old stories, it wasn’t mermaids, it was the  Kynigós, but not until long after humans had, uh, bred with them, made them look more like us.”

 

Sam stared at his brother as he tried to process what Dean was telling him.

 

“You’re saying people...had  _ sex _ with the Kynigós?  How is that even possible?”

 

“I’m not sure.  Some things get lost in translation, but I don’t think Cas knows for sure either.  We, uh, haven’t exactly discussed...anatomy.” Dean chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck.  “He...wants me as his mate.”

 

“Do you want that?  How long does his species mate for?”  Sam asked.

 

“Life.  They mate for life.  And yeah, I’ve loved him for ages now, and it’s never wavered even once.  I always knew I’d come back to be with him, but when I envisioned a life with him, I thought I’d like, live on a boat or something, or find a private island where no one could come bother us and he’d always be safe.  The island part isn’t really realistic, and even on a boat, I’d still have to find land whenever there was the threat of a storm, so my fantasy wasn’t well thought out.”

 

“There are islands out there.  Lots of them. Maybe you could see if they’d be safe?  Some you have to be really careful around because there are seals, killer whales, or sharks,”  Sam pointed out. Dean frowned.

 

“Yeah, those are all creatures the Kynigós fear.  I can’t take him anywhere with a high number of anything that might eat him.”

 

Sam thought for a minute.  “If we can get enough money, we could theoretically put up a fence, around an island and sure, he can come and go through the fence, and fish can come and go, but big stuff like sharks, killer whales, they can’t come in, and if the island is far enough out or in a place where there are no seals, we won’t have to worry about them.”

 

“You’re really getting out there, Sammy.”  Dean laughed softly, not wanting to wake their uncle up.  “I probably have enough money to buy my own island. Maybe.  But then I’d have to fly on a plane to get to and from it, and I sort of don’t want that.  There has to be a way to stay near warm water, but away from people. Like, if I buy land that has its own little pocket of ocean where Cas can swim and hide, and no one will know he’s there except me, and no one can come onto my property without my permission.  I know there will be stuff there that’s dangerous, like snakes or whatever, if he comes onto land. I need lots of money so I can protect him.”

 

They discussed a bit about some of the things Castiel had found and saved for Dean over the years, and how once it was all switched over to cold, hard, cash, he would have the means to protect Castiel, even if he didn’t yet have a solid plan on how to do that.  Then there was the matter of their uncle. Bobby had to be told at some point. Dean didn’t think he would be like their dad. He’d never been focused on money. For Bobby, family came first, and if he expressed just how much Castiel meant to him, he was almost positive his uncle would do everything possible to help him keep Cas and the rest of the Kynigós safe.

 

Dan didn’t remember falling asleep, but the sound of someone moving around in the kitchen, closing cabinet doors rather loudly and slapping pans on the stovetop jerked him out of a peaceful dream about sailing on the ocean, under the summer sun.  He groaned and sat up. Sam was gone, probably having slipped off to his own room during the night, which meant that was Bobby moving around in the kitchen. 

 

When he walked in, Bobby frowned, eyeing him and his disheveled clothes.

 

“You look like you slept on the beach.  You better have stayed inside.”

 

Dean wanted to argue that he wasn’t a kid, and that he didn’t have to do what anyone told him, but then he remembered that there was a guy out there stalking him, probably with the intent to torture him to find out just how many diamonds he had.  Then the guy would probably kill him. He bit back his sarcastic response and staggered over to the fridge to take out the orange juice he’d put away yesterday.

 

“Rufus is on his way over.  We’re going to go to the bank.  He has arranged for the gold and diamonds to be liquidated, and it’s best that we not ask too many questions.  I still want to know details, boy. I deserve to know how you came across so much sunken treasure without getting on a boat.”  Bobby peered down his nose at his nephew as he lifted his mug of black coffee to his lips to take a sip.

 

“How do you know I didn’t rent a boat?”  Dean countered. Bobby arched an eyebrow in a way that said “Are you being serious, or are you just that stupid?”

 

“Rufus checked at the docks when I asked him to.  No one fitting your description has boarded a boat in the last year, and not alone in the last eight months.  You don’t own your own boat, and you don’t even know how to work one, let alone take it out by yourself into the deep ocean to search for treasure, so, want to try again and tell me  _ where _ you managed to come across millions in lost treasure?”

 

“I didn’t steal anything,”  Dean insisted.

 

“I know.  I’m not doubting that part.  I want you to man up and tell me the truth.”

 

That was a low blow.  For years Bobby had been telling him he was more grown up than a boy his age should be, and he knew that was true.  After their mom had died, it wasn’t John that had taken care of Sam, it was him. He’d done all the cooking, the cleaning, wiping snotty noses, making his brother’s lunch every day when there was enough food to do that, and making sure there was lunch money available when there wasn’t.  He had always protected his brother, gone without so Sam would never have to, and he’d had to grow up wicked fast in order to keep his little brother safe. To now be called immature because he wouldn’t say where he’d gotten the treasures was insulting. He slammed the orange juice down on the counter and stared his uncle down.

 

“You’re telling me to ‘man up?’  Seriously? I had to ‘man up’ the day my mom died.  I have done nothing since then but ‘man up.’ While my father was out drinking himself blind, spending our food money, our rent money,  _ I _ took care of Sam.  I didn’t get the luxury of goofing off in high school.  Even after we moved in with you, Sam was  _ my _ responsibility.  He’s always been my responsibility.  Coming here? I knew I had stuff waiting for me, that everything I’ve ever wanted was waiting here, but that I’d also have the money Sam needs to pay his way through any college he could ever possibly dream of.  I needed to do that to get him as far away from our dad as possible. I was going to send for him once I got a new place to live, I wasn’t anticipating this Alastair asshole, but telling me I need to man up? That’s a fuck all thing to say to  _ me _ .  

 

“There are things at play here that I’m not ready to tell you, not because I’m being immature but because I have my personal reasons.  Sam isn’t the only person I’m trying to keep safe. I know you still see me as the snot-nosed kid I used to be, but I haven’t been that boy since the day my mom died.  I don’t have to tell you anything in order for you to believe that I am telling you the truth when I say I did  _ not _ , in  _ any way _ come across anything I’ve collected illegally.  For the moment, that is all you need to know.”

 

For a long moment they just stood there staring at each other before Bobby pulled his hat off his head so he could scratch at the hair he had left.

 

“You remind me of Mary.  That’s a good thing. I don’t think I’d be so willing to help you without knowing what I was getting into if you were more like your father.”

 

Dean snorted and went to pull a glass out of the cabinet to pour his orange juice into.

 

“He’s the last person I would ever want to be compared to.”

 

As he poured the juice he saw Sam hovering in the hall, just outside the kitchen.  With a tilt of his head he motioned for his brother to come in the room.

 

“Is, uh, everything ok?” he asked as Bobby slapped two slices of cinnamon raisin bread in the boy’s hand.

 

“It’s fine.  Heat your bread up and eat it.  We’re all going together to the bank when Rufus gets here.”  

 

Sam looked at Dean who suddenly looked panicky.  He shoved the bread in the toaster and when Bobby walked out of the room, he leaned over to whisper so only his brother would hear.

 

“What’s the matter?”

 

“Cas has the keys.  To the safety deposit boxes.  I gave them to him, just in case Alastair found me, I didn’t want him to get access to the safety deposit boxes,”  Dean hissed.

 

“Oh.  Shit.”  Sam realized the problem they were facing.  “Can you call him and tell him to meet you with them?”

 

“Yeah, but Uncle Bobby isn’t going to let me just wander down to the beach, not with Rufus on his way here.”

 

“Call him and tell him to meet me with the keys.  Alistair doesn’t know what I look like. I can get down there, get the keys and be back before Uncle Bobby even knows I’m gone.  You just cover for me, ok? I’ll turn on the shower and lock the bathroom door so no one can get in. I can sneak out the back door, get down to the beach and get back in under 20 minutes.  Just tell Cas I have to move fast.” Sam grabbed his toast as it popped up and started for his room. Dean abandoned his glass for the moment and followed after him.

 

“You will have to run fast, and watch for anyone else out there .  This time of the morning the beach is usually pretty busy. Not many people fool around by the rocks, but that doesn’t mean people won’t be in the tide pools.  They might see Cas moving under the water. I’ll tell him to bury them in the sand by the rocks. You’ll just have to dig them up.” 

 

“Ok, do that then.”  Sam was busy grabbing clean clothes as he listened.  Under the clothes he carried his sneakers. He’d run much faster in them until he got to the sand.  “Hurry, call him now.”

 

Dean pulled his phone out and dialed Castiel.  It would take a minute before the phone could be pulled from the plastic case, so he waited patiently.  When the call went to voicemail, he disconnected and called him again.

 

“Dean!”  Castiel’s voice burst across the phone line, making him smile.

 

“Baby, I have a job I need you to do.”

 

Sam watched as Dean explained what he wanted Castiel to do and when they hung up, he nodded at him.

 

“He’ll be at the beach in about five minutes.  Bobby will be looking for you in 15, so hurry.” 

 

Sam put the clothes down on the toilet seat in the bathroom and got the shower started. He locked the bathroom door and slipped down the hall to the back door with his shoes in hand.  Dean headed back to the kitchen to drink his juice and wait for his brother to get back.

 

“Where’s Sam?”  Bobby asked when he walked into the kitchen ten minutes later.  Dean was standing at the counter eating a bowl of cereal. 

 

“Shower.”  He mumbled around a mouthful of food.  Bobby checked his watch.

 

“Rufus had a stop to make but he’ll be here in about five.  Go change into something presentable, you look like you slept in your clothes.”

 

Dean finished his bowl of cereal and rinsed it along with the spoon, forgetting his brother was supposed to be in the shower.  Hoping his uncle hadn’t noticed the lack of Sam screaming about the sudden cold water, he went to his bedroom to change. 

 

It was about two minutes later that his door suddenly flew open and Sam was chucking the necklace and keys on his bed before dashing down the hall to the bathroom.  Dean poked his head out to see his brother using a coin to unlock the door. Sam ducked in just as Bobby came down the hall, pausing at the bathroom door to pound on it.

 

“Hurry up, Sam, some of us would like a shower too!”

 

When Rufus finally arrived, Sam had come out of the bathroom, showered and changed, which Dean was highly impressed that he’d managed to at least wash his hair, and Bobby was grumbling under the now cold water as he tried to take a shower.  Dean let Rufus in and once the man was settled on the couch with a mug of black coffee, he started going over what he’d gotten done just since yesterday afternoon.

 

“I got a man who can move the gold, if it’s real.  He moves it all the time. If these are gold doubloons, like you say, they’ll need to be melted down, made into bricks so the Spanish government doesn’t get wind and try to sue you.  You could end up in litigation for years before you lose since you have no proof that you went out into the ocean to get it. So the best bet is to melt it down. I brought a kit to test, make sure it’s really gold. That way you know if you found some bullshit on the ocean floor.  Sometimes people try to screw one another over, and that happened even a couple hundred years ago.

 

“I have two guys interested in the diamonds.  They’re good, as far as crooks can be. One is interested in any other gems you might have.  Then I have a guy who is interested in any collectibles you may have. He’s less trustworthy, but he knows not to cross me.  Depending on what else you find, I can probably get most of it moved quietly.”

 

Dean sat down at the other end of the couch while Sam sat down in one of the armchairs.  The brothers glanced at one another before Dean turned to look at Rufus.

 

“Ok.  I have everything in the safety deposit boxes.  I know better than to carry anything on me.”

 

Rufus nodded.  “Good. You’re smart.”

 

“How do you know all of these people?”  Sam asked. “Are you, like, a thief or something?”

 

“This old coot?”  Bobby came walking in, still towel drying what little hair was still on the top of his head.  He snorted and snapped the towel at his friend, earning a spew of curses from Rufus that had him grinning.  “He’s a lot of things, but a thief isn’t one of them. Rufus here is ex-CIA.”

 

Both Dean and Sam made sounds of surprise that sounded an awful lot like birds were squawking.  Their uncle chuckled as he sat down in the remaining armchair.

 

“We served in the Marines together, and then together in the CIA.  There are very few people I trust, but Rufus here is one of them.”

 

“You were CIA?”  Sam’s eyes were as wide as saucers, and Dean’s weren’t much smaller.  Dean had heard the guys at the garage joking about how his uncle could do wiretaps, get the dirt on people, and how no one would ever be able to stiff the old man because he’d find them no matter where they went.  He hadn’t thought they were serious though! It made him wonder if his uncle could track him if he’d just disappeared with Cas. That was a rather disturbing thought.

 

“I had a life before you rugrats were even a glimmer in your mama’s eyes.  Remember, I have 17 years up on your dad. I retired when you boys were still in elementary school.  A few years before your mom passed. I wasn’t always a mechanic.”

 

Dean took a deep breath and rubbed his hands on his jeans nervously.  Now he was even more worried about Castiel. He just needed to keep his mouth shut about Castiel until they were long gone.  A glance at his brother told him he was thinking the same thing. Telling their uncle was one thing. Telling Rufus? Not. Going.  To. Happen.

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

The next few days were stressful as Rufus and Bobby went through everything Dean had stored at the bank.  The gold was real, as were the diamonds. He ignored the suspicious looks his uncle kept giving him, especially as they realized Dean had been sitting on a hell of a lot more than just a million or two like he’d though.  By the time that Rufus had moved all of the diamonds  _ and _ the gold, Dean had almost  _ two hundred million _ , and that was after everyone else had gotten their cut.  

 

“Can I call you if I find anything else?”  Dean asked on the last day, after they’d sold even the swords and jewelry.

 

“Yeah, that would be fine.  I’m always up for making money.”  Rufus’ grin made Dean deeply uncomfortable, but he’d proven to be loyal to his uncle, and to him, so he had a tentative trust in the man.

 

“What makes you think you’re going to find more?”  Bobby asked, suspicious again once Rufus had left and he was alone once more with his nephews.  Dean rolled his eyes as he flopped back on the couch.

 

“I just might.  I have a favor to ask.”

 

Bobby stared, waiting for him to elaborate.

 

“I need a boat.  Something I can go west in,”  Dean explained. 

 

“What the hell do you need a boat for?  You got your daddy’s car.”

 

“I need to figure out what I’m going to do about that.  I guess now I have the money to have her boxed up and transferred.  And I can have her stored somewhere temperature controlled. I do need a boat though, and if this Alastair guy is looking for me still, then I probably shouldn’t be out buying a boat.  You know how to pick a good one, right?”

 

Bobby whipped his hat off and sat down in the chair closest to his nephew.  His eyes were hard and angry. It was clear he was barely containing his rage.

 

“Dean, maybe now is when you should tell him,”  Sam said softly. Bobby shot him a withering glare before turning back to stare Dean down.   

 

“Boy, you had better start talking.”  

 

“I’ll start talking on the condition that you never, ever tell anyone about what I’m going to tell you.  Also, you’re going to ask to see what I’m talking about. You are  _ not _ allowed to bring your gun, or your knife, and you’re not allowed to freak out.  Oh, and you have to wear shorts, because we’re getting in the water.” Dean said, refusing to be intimidated by his uncle.  “If you can’t make me that promise, I’m not telling you anything.”

 

Bobby let out a frustrated growl before finally huffing out an annoyed growl.  He seemed to deflate right before their eyes.

 

“Fine, but this better be good.”

 

Sam giggled.  “It’s awesome!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
> 


	8. Chapter 8

“So help me Dean, if you’re jerking me around, I’m going to do a lot more than tan your hide.”  Bobby growled as they made their way down to the water. They’d waited until well after midnight, when the beach was empty and most everyone was either asleep in their rented condos, or out enjoying the nightlife the city offered, deep in the downtown area.  Bobby was still grousing over the fact that he’d been told to wear his swim trunks. He hadn’t actually stepped foot in the ocean in over a decade.

 

“I’m not.  Now lose the attitude or you’re going to scare him.  He’s important to me,” Dean hissed. When they reached the rocks, Dean slipped through the crack, and Sam quickly followed.  Bobby had to suck his belly in but he fit through too, and then they were standing in the water, looking out at the black water.

 

“This is kind of eerie.  You can’t see a damn thing out here.”  Bobby spoke in a low voice as he studied the water.  It looked like a storm might be rolling in, probably by tomorrow.  Something shimmering in the water caught his attention as it began moving towards shore.

 

“There he is.”  Dean pointed excitedly.  “Remember, keep your cool.  I refuse to allow his life to be put in danger by anyone.”  

 

“What  _ is _ it?”  Bobby asked.  He backed up towards the gap in the rocks, ready to bolt as the surface of the water directly in front of them began to ripple, but Sam caught his arm and held him still.

 

“He won’t hurt you.  He’s really nice, and funny.  When I first met him, he teased me cause I’m as tall as Dean.  I like him.” 

 

Bobby frowned as something broke the surface, and his eyebrows shot up when a head of dark hair and wide eyes looked his way.  Slowly the figure lifted up from the water until their shoulders were visible too. It looked...like a man.

 

“Cas, this is Uncle Bobby.  We told him about you tonight.  He was upset because he didn’t know how I was getting all of that stuff, so I told him you were getting it for me.  For us. I told him he has to be nice and if he growls at you, he’s not really mad. He’s just scared, ok?” Dean reached out to run hi fingers through Castiel’s hair and he moved closer, eyeing Bobby warily as he sought protection and safety from Dean.

 

“Uncle Bobby nice?  No hurt Castiel?” He looked up at Dean, who nodded.

 

“It  _ speaks _ ?”  Bobby was staring at the water where it continued to pulse with light, directly below Castiel.  Dean was the one to growl, right at his uncle.

 

“Don’t call him an it!  Castiel is beautiful, and amazing, and smarter than any human.  Don’t you  _ dare _ insult him!”

 

Bobby blinked and slowly seemed to come to his senses.  He met Castiel’s curious stare. It was dark out here, almost pitch black, save for the pulsing lights beneath...whatever Castiel was.  He  _ looked _ human, but when Castiel reached a hand up to hold onto Dean’s arm, he could see sharp looking black nails that tipped each finger, and the webbing between them.  

 

“Like Dean said earlier, Castiel is a Kynigós.  His species was hunted and killed by humans hundreds of years ago, so they went into hiding.  They haven’t been seen since then,” Sam explained.

 

“But this one just... _ found _ Dean one day?”  Bobby asked.

 

“I was drowning; he was breaking the rules of his people by coming up near the surface.  He had wanted to see the sky, and he found me just before my body gave out and I went under the water for good.  Cas here held me up until my dad could swim out to get me, but he ducked under the water when Dad got closer. Dad never saw him.  After that he was curious, so he found me at the beach and came to investigate. He’d been taught to stay away from humans, that we’re cruel and evil and we kill everything we don’t understand.  I proved to him that not all humans are like that. We played right here, every summer for years. Between the rocks I could safely play with him, out of the sight of my parents, of the people in the condo, and even out of sight of Sam.  He spoke a different language but I taught him to speak English, and yeah, his speech is a little stilted; he speaks pretty damn good for only getting lessons from me on and off for a few weeks every summer for a few years.”

 

Bobby thought for a moment as he watched Castiel practically nuzzle against Dean, making strange clicking and purring noises that no human could possibly make.  Their vocal cords were just not designed to do that, but this...Kynigós could.

 

“How did you keep this a secret from your parents?”  

 

“Cas is lightning fast, but they never came down to this end of the beach, even when I was little.  Mom would call me back when it was time to go inside. I’d make sure they saw me playing, so they didn’t come bother me, but mostly they had their hands full with Sam.  The day I almost drowned, Sam ate sand and choked. He was always putting things in his mouth. Mom had to go out and buy a portable playpen for him because he was always getting into trouble.  When we got older, I’d ditch him so I could hang out with Cas. He didn’t seem to care though because he made friends every summer with whatever other kids were here. If he wandered down here, Cas would zip back into the water long before Sam could slip through the rocks to come bug me.”

 

“Is  _ that _ why you’d always bring a huge stack of books every summer?  Mom thought you were studying and Dad thought you were a genius.  It was a tough standard for me to try and live up to,” Sam pouted.

 

“You’re the genius, Sammy, not me,” Dean argued.  “You’re going to go to college and do great things.  I just want to live my life with Cas, and keep him safe.”

 

“Kynigós.  I know that word.”  Bobby watched the lights as they continued to pulse and shimmer under the water.  It was actually kind of beautiful to witness.

 

“Castiel is Kynigós.  I am to humans, they say Kynigós is gods.  They say we beautiful, but get mad when boats smash on rocks.  They say Kynigós evil. Humans kill Kynigós, so we hide in deep, deep water.  No humans go in deep, deep water for long time. Now humans is everywhere. Not safe.  Dean say go to new home. New home no has much people, but has water dragons. I scare water dragons when eat them.”

 

“Ok, I understood most of that. I see what you mean about the stilted speech now.  It’s no different than anyone else trying to learn English. This language is a bitch.”  Bobby snorted.

 

“Language...is a bitch?”  Castiel echoed, curious about the new word.

 

“He means talking in the English language is hard,”  Sam clarified. Castiel nodded.

 

“Talk hard to do.  Know Kynigós language better.” 

 

“Castiel, what do you call the ocean?  Is it okeanós? Do you call this neró?” Bobby wiggled his fingers in the water and even with only Dean’s cell phone light and the pulsating lights in the water, he could see the way Castiel’s eyes lit up.

 

“Yes!  Uncle Bobby speak Castiel!  Please!”

 

Bobby chuckled.  “He’s speaking Greek, boys.  Apparently the language of his people is Greek.  That’s rather fascinating.”

 

“You speak Greek?”  Sam was openly shocked.  He’d only ever heard his uncle speak in English and on occasion, Spanish when a customer came into the shop speaking it.  Even Dean was stunned by this revelation.

 

“Well, you boys know I’m your dad’s half brother.  Same mother, different fathers. Anyway,  _ my _ father’s mother came from Greece.  She was actually Welsh, but her family had moved to Greece, and she picked up the language.  At home she spoke English, or Welsh with her parents but when she went out, she spoke Greek. When she had children, she taught them all to speak Welsh and Greek fluently.  Then she taught us. After my mom cut out on my dad when I was six, my grandmother pretty much raised me. I was fluent in three languages by the time I reached elementary school, and I learned Latin there.  From there, I picked up Spanish, French, and German. Later I learned Italian. For my job, I learned Japanese and Mandarin. I have a gift for languages. I’m rusty on a few of them, but Welsh and Greek I’m perfectly fluent in.”  

 

Bobby proceeded to launch into a conversation with Castiel in perfect Greek that left both of his nephews standing there gawking at them.  It went on for a good 20 minutes, and they both stood there silently listening, waiting to be included in what they were talking about. Finally Bobby nodded and looked at Dean.

 

“He says he has moved into a river that feeds into the ocean, so it’s still salt water.  The ‘water dragons’ he mentioned? Alligators. He says there are snakes, gators, and from what he described to me, and how far he says he has to swim to get there, I’m thinking it’s past Mississippi, but not as far as Mexico.  So...Louisiana. He’s set up home in the bayou somewhere.” He eyed his nephew for a moment before continuing. “He tells me you two are going to ‘mate,’ and that he’s in love with you. He also tells me that you promised to protect him, from his family, their elders who have control over the colony, and from things such as sharks, orcas, and other nasties that want to kill or eat him.  

 

“He also tells me that you have a plan to get there.  He’s going to swim, you plan to follow by boat. He also tells me that there’s more to be found the farther west we go.  From what he has described, there are all sorts of sunken ships, a few airplanes, and he’s describing a small inlet, just off the river where he has found a small cave.  That’s where he’s been calling home for the last four years. He says there’s a building there that doesn’t look like the condos, but no people ever go in or come out, which is why he felt it was safe to stay there.  His description of it makes me think it’s one of them old plantation homes.”

 

Bobby sighed and scratched at his beard.  “Here’s what I see happening. We have to get out of this city.  Rufus has done a stellar job of keeping you out of the deals he made, so your name was never dropped.  Makes it next to impossible for Alastair to catch wind if you weren’t at the deals for anyone to see, and your name was never brought up, but he’s not the only thing we need to avoid.  

 

“The longer Castiel stays here, the more he’s being put in danger by coming to the surface.  He didn’t want to tell you, but he had a rather harrowing experience with a shark yesterday, and one of his brothers spotted him today, demanded to know why he was back.  We gotta get out of here as soon as possible. I can go down and see what kind of boats can traverse the sea and get us to his new home, but if we’re going up a river, we’re going to have to invest in a pontoon, or a flat boat of some kind.  I will buy the boat tomorrow, and while I’m out doing that, you two need to pack everything up and be ready to go by the time I get back.”

 

“I think we need to put some kind of tracking device on Castiel, so we don’t accidentally end up following a shark, or a dolphin.  But also, so if he  _ is _ wearing something, we can differentiate between him and anything else that might be following him.  Then we can stop the boat and he can climb on, in case it’s like, a big shark, or deep sea divers. Stuff like that,”  Sam explained.

 

“Good idea.”  Bobby agreed. “I’ll see what I can pick up in the morning that can be put on him without having to hurt him.  Most of those tracking devices are inserted into the creature. Fish, dolphin, whatever, it gets jabbed into them, and I sort of don’t want to hurt Castiel unnecessarily.”

 

Dean smiled as Castiel chirped and leaned into him again so he’d card his fingers through his hair more.

 

“This is comforting for the Kynigós,”  Dean explained. “They do this as a sign of affection to one another, and for comfort.  So, we leave what, tomorrow afternoon?”

 

‘No, there’s a bad storm rolling in.  I can feel it in my bones. We will leave the day after, when the weather clears.  That gives me time to arrange for the Impala to be towed and then transported to a safe storage location that is  _ not _ where we end up, just in case Alastair follows the car.  I need to get food and water for the trip,” Bobby replied.

 

“Food?”  Castiel perked up.  “What word…” His brow furrowed as he tried to find the word in English.  “Psári, Uncle Bobby?”

 

Bobby seemed endlessly amused by Castiel calling him “Uncle Bobby”.  “Fish. The word is fish.”

 

“Yes!  Fish! I give  _ fish _ for Dean, for Sam, for Uncle Bobby.  Good, eat. Is good,” Castiel insisted.

 

“Cas wants to take care of us too, we’re family,”  Dean explained. Castiel nodded in agreement. 

 

“Castiel protect, keep safe too.  Love family.”

 

“That’s how families work; we take care of each other.”  Bobby scratched at the top of his head. Dean had told him to leave his hat in the condo, so Castiel wasn’t inclined to take it off his head just to examine it.  As his nephew had explained, there were no boundaries where Castiel was concerned. He was curious about everything. It was going to be interesting picking his brain later and learning everything he knew about the ocean, and his species, but for now, they needed to get him somewhere safe.

 

“Well, I’m going upstairs.  Sam, you’re coming with. Dean, be quick.”

 

“Why do I have to go?”  Sam whined.

 

“Do you want to see them kissing?”  Bobby arched an eyebrow and chuckled when his younger nephew wrinkled his nose in disgust.

 

“Eww, no.”

 

He followed Bobby out onto the beach, leaving Dean and Castiel alone finally.

 

“Dean,”  Castiel sounded pouty as he pushed his human up against one of the flat rocks and wrapped his tentacles around him.  One was sliding up under Dean’s shirt while the tip of another was flicking lightly under the right leg of his swim trunks.  “When mate? You promise.”

 

“Well, we need to talk about that first.  You’re sure a mating between you and me will actually work?  Like the bond you keep talking about?” Dean asked. Castiel’s hands were under his tee shirt, nails dragging ever so gently across his skin as he nuzzled his head up under Dean’s jaw.  It was all very distracting, and very arousing.

 

“Yes, humans mate with my people, long time ago.  I tell Dean this. Take mate, love Kynigós, Kynigós love humans.  Then humans do bad things. Humans stupid. Not Dean stupid. Humans long time ago stupid.  Mom say, Kynigós love humans so much, they die when humans leave, not come back. Dean stay with Castiel?  Always come back, promise?”

 

Dean nodded.  “I do promise.  I love you so much, Cas.”  

 

He ended up smiling into the kiss Castiel planted on his lips, then groaning when one of the Kynigós’ tentacles brushed across the front of his shorts.  Curious as always, Castiel pulled back to look curiously down at the water. It was beginning to recede now as the sky slowly became lighter. Morning was upon them.  Another couple of hours and those who hadn’t spent their time partying the night before would be up, ready to surf, walk along the beach, or just relax before the day became unbearably hot.  For right now though, it was just the two of them, and that was perfect.

 

“Why Dean hard?  Is other arm? Leg?”  Castiel inquired. Dean laughed as he shook his head.

 

“No, baby, remember that anatomy book I gave you?  The book on the human body you wanted to keep so you would know how my body worked?”

 

“Yes.  Castiel have book in cave but...book got wet.  I still read, see pictures.” He rubbed a tentacle across the hardness again before a wicked smile crossed his face.  “Is  _ penis _ , yes?  Penis is hard.  Hard for Castiel?  Is...I not know word.  Feel good for...intercourse?  Intercourse is mating.”

 

  


 

“Damn, you are smart, baby.”  Dean stroked Castiel’s cheek lightly.  “The term we usually say is that I’m turned on, but aroused is another word.  A more commonly used term for intercourse is sex. So yeah, I’m turned on right now, and sex is definitely on my mind.  The whole bonding thing is what confuses me. What’s going to happen when we bond?”

 

Castiel chirped softly, careful to not be too loud and draw possible attention.  He pulled one hand out from under Dean’s tee shirt to touch his own neck.

 

“ Kynigós bite here.  Is mate bite. Only Castiel mate bite here.  I bite Dean, then we mates.” 

 

Dean thought about Castiel’s extremely sharp teeth.  They were the reason why he kept kissing tongue free, he didn’t want to accidentally  _ lose _ his tongue in a heated moment.  He doubted Castiel would be that careless, so maybe in the future he’d work that into their sex life.

 

It was weird to think that he and Castiel might actually  _ have _ a sex life.  Sure, he could get the Kynigós to give him hand jobs, if he was careful with his claws, but what could he do to please Castiel in return?  In all the years he’d known him, Dean had never seen a dick on his friend. Did he have one? How did they mate? He had so many questions…

 

“Do you have a d-penis?” he asked.

 

“Yes.”  Castiel replied.  The sun was almost up now.  He had set his phone down on one of the rocks so it wouldn’t get wet so he grabbed it to check the time.  Had three hours  _ really _ passed since his uncle and Sam had gone inside?  It was almost six, and the water was now below his thighs.  By ten it would be gone and he’d be standing on dry sand. Castiel pushed up higher, until most of his lower half was out of the water too.

 

“Dean want see?”

 

Well if that didn’t sound like some sort of messed up childhood game of “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours”, nothing did, and yet, he was incredibly curious, and just as much turned on at that moment.  He peeked between the rocks, making sure the beach was still empty. Much farther down he could make out the form of a woman walking her dog. Absently he found himself hoping she cleaned up after the dog. No one wanted to step in shit when they were playing in the sand later on.  Knowing they really were alone, he turned back to Castiel and nodded.

 

Castiel lifted two of his tentacles up, parting them to reveal a soft, pink underside.  Dean wondered if it had always been pink or if mating with humans had brought about that mutation.  The Kynigós grabbed onto the rocks with those tentacles to balance himself better as Dean leaned down to look.

 

“I don’t see a penis, Cas.”  

 

There was a hole visible, and in front of that, some kind of slit.  Castiel smiled as he reached down and rubbed at another slit Dean hadn’t noticed.  

 

“Is here.”  He practically purred as the slit opened and what was definitely a penis slid out.  Dean was fascinated by the fact that Castiel’s genitals were tucked up inside him when he wasn’t aroused.  He figured it wouldn’t be safe to swim around with  _ that _ flopping about.  

 

It was similar to but not exactly like a human penis.  For one, it was as black as Castiel’s tentacles. For another, it lacked a foreskin and glans.  It more closely resembled the vibrator tucked into the bottom of Dean’s duffel bag that absolutely no one knew he had.  He’d never used it, but thought maybe it would be the only way he could fool around with Castiel, beside hand jobs. He wasn’t exactly sure what he’d been thinking when he’d bought it.

 

Castiel was stroking himself slowly and Dean’s fascination doubled as he watched it thicken and harden.  A clear fluid leaked from the tip and Dean’s brain happily supplied the word  _ ‘precome’ _ .  

 

“So, you really are a guy.”  He looked up to find hooded blue eyes watching him.

 

“Castiel is mom and dad.”  Castiel groaned, a very human sound that shot straight to Dean’s own dick as he rubbed his thumb over his slit.  Apparently he  _ really _ liked what he was doing.

 

“What?”  He didn’t understand what Castiel was trying to say.  Another extremely erotic groan slipped out of Castiel and Dean had to grab his own dick, which practically throbbed in response.

 

“Look, Dean, am mom  _ and _ dad.”  He had to tilt back farther so Dean could get a better view in the morning light. He grabbed Dean’s hand and pressed it against the slit his human had first noticed.  Finally it clicked for Dean.

 

“Oh!  Dude! You’re intersex!”

 

“Not know intersex.  Please to touch, Dean.  Feel good.” Castiel pushed closer, the water parting easily around him as he urged his human to touch him the way he’d seen other Kynigós touching one another during their mating rituals.  He’d dreamed of one day having Dean’s hands on him, pleasuring him, and he didn’t want to wait any longer.

 

“I don’t know what I’m doing here, Cas.  This...it’s a vagina?” Two of Dean’s fingers slipped easily inside what was a surprisingly tight, wet heat.  He felt Castiel’s entire body shiver and another moan escaped.

 

“Yes.  _ Touch  _ me!”  Castiel shoved himself closer, tilting his lower half up at the waist to give Dean better access.  

 

Dean really didn’t have experience with this, unless one counted copious amounts of porn.  He knew what girls liked, mostly because his friend back home, Charlie, was rather descriptive about her sexcapades with her girlfriend.  He understood the basics as far as the words went, but he also knew, thanks to graphic explanations from Charlie, that penetrative sex usually didn’t get a girl off, but clitoral stimulation with fingers or mouth most definitely would.  Dean wasn’t positive Castiel even  _ had _ a clitoris, but he was eager to find out.  

 

Using the two fingers currently inside Castiel, he went on a little exploration, searching the walls for the little nub (as Charlie had described it).  It was supposed to be near the front on a human girl, so he slid his fingers forward. He knew the instant he had found it. Castiel gasped, his blue eyes blowing wide open as his hands clamped down on Dean’s shoulders, bracing himself but also giving Dean the leverage he needed to rub at that little nub (Charlie had been right, it really was a little nub), and feeling it grow bigger as he rubbed circles gently across it.  Castiel made a sound that was close to a whimper as his hips (Dean was thinking of them as hips, because he wasn’t sure what the Kynigós anatomy included and excluded) thrust forward. The soft whimpers and keening noises he was making were becoming increasingly desperate sounding and Dean suddenly was very eager to get Castiel off. With his other hand he reached down to take the currently neglected penis and began stroking it. It threw him off having his two hands doing completely different things but Castiel was whimpering and thrusting into his touch, as if desperate for more.  

 

“Cas, do you want my...penis (he had to keep reminding himself to call it his penis and not his dick) inside you?”

 

“Yes!  Please, to mate, Dean!”  Castiel begged. Dean jumped when a tentacle slid up his leg again and he got the hint.  It wasn’t going to be the most elegant first time having sex, but they were both pretty desperate by that point.  He removed the hand he was working Castiel’s dick with and hurried to untie his shorts and shove them down. Castiel reached his own hand down to stroke him.

 

“Is nice penis.  Good for neossoí .  Want mate, Dean, have when water turn warm next season.”

 

“Mating now, we’ll have  _ kids _ next year?”  Dean was so ready for sex, but now he was thinking he should have invested in condoms…

 

“No,” Castiel replied.  “Water turn cold, then go breed to make  neossoí .”

 

“It’s not breeding season,” Dean realized. But we can still have sex when it’s not breeding season?  You can only get pregnant during breeding season?”

 

“Not know word ‘pregnant.’  Is have  neossoí ?”  Castiel was desperate for Dean to be inside him and was practically climbing his human to get closer to him.

 

“Yeah, that’s what it means.  When humans get pregnant, they carry the baby in their belly, and then later it will be born.  You want to have babies next summer?”

 

Castiel keened as he nodded eagerly.  “I want many summers for Dean come back.  Want mate now. When water cold, make  neossoí .  Dean keep family safe.   Neossoí family.  Baby family.” 

 

“Ok, sweetheart, we’re going to try this standing up.  You’re going to have to use a couple of your...limbs to wrap around me.”  Dean waited until two had wrapped around his bare ass, tugging him closer.  He removed his fingers, replacing it with his cock. 

 

Castiel was incredibly quiet, considering what was going on, keeping his groans soft as Dean thrust into him.  His hands were back on his human’s shoulders, clinging to him desperately as Dean pushed him back against the closest rocks, fucking up into him, hard and fast.  He wasn’t going to last long, and neither was Castiel. With one last soft keen, Dean felt the come that splashed across his thighs. Castiel tightened around him, increasing that hot, tight feeling, and a few thrusts later he was spilling deep inside his…

 

He couldn’t call Castiel just his “friend” anymore.  They were far beyond that by now. Boyfriend maybe?  _ Girlfriend _ considering what they’d just done?  No. Those weren’t right at all. Castiel was his  _ mate _ .  The word felt right the moment he thought it.  He looked down to see a very happy, very sated Kynigós wrapped around him making soft clicks and chirps of joy.

 

“Now bite.”  Castiel touched his shoulder in the place where it met his neck.

 

“Cas, my teeth aren’t as sharp as yours, how am I going to break the skin? Do I  _ have _ to break the skin?”  Dean asked. Castiel lifted his head to look at him.  He reached up, lifting Dean’s upper lip to study his teeth.  The look of absolute concentration on his face made Dean break out in a smile.  Damn, he was adorable.

 

“How eat?  Teeth no good for eat.”  Castiel pulled his hand back and looked at him expectantly.

 

“I eat just fine, but I don’t have to tear through raw meat or fish like you do.  How are we going to do this then?”

 

Castiel thought for a second, and then it came to him.  He grinned wide as he brought one of his own claws to the spot on his shoulder and dug the nails in.  A soft whimper escaped, but then he was smiling again.

 

“Dean bite here.  Bite hard.”

 

Dean was a little grossed out by the idea of getting blood in his mouth, but this was something intimate and special between them.  Castiel wanted to mate with him, to  _ bond _ with him for life, and he wanted that just as much.  He opened his mouth as wide as he could and clamped his jaws down on Castiel’s shoulder.  The Kynigós gasped then keened as he bit down harder, causing his bottom teeth to break the skin too.  When he pulled back, he wiped at his mouth to get rid of the blood. It hadn’t tasted as bad as he’d expected; it was actually more sweet than coppery.  

 

“Now you’re going to bite me?” he asked.  Castiel looked so happy in that moment, his eyes unfocused and a contented smile on his face.  It took a second for Dean’s question to register.

 

“Yes.  Must find human spot.”  

 

“It’s not my shoulder too?”  Dean asked. Castiel justs smiled and shrugged.  He pulled Dean’s shirt up and over his head, then pressed his nose to his mate’s throat.  

 

“Dean smell good.  Want smell all time.”  He sighed. His tongue darted out to lick at the sweat beading on his mate’s skin.  “Dean taste good too.”

 

“Yeah?  It’s not gross to taste sweat?”  Dean wrinkled his nose as he asked.  

 

“No, is good.  Like taste.” Castiel tasted the spot on Dean’s shoulder where, if he’d been a Kynigós too, his matching bite would go, but that spot didn’t taste right.  Over the next few minutes he slowly searched Dean’s body, tasting and touching everywhere, looking for the right spot. He chirped happily when he found it.  

 

“Is here.  Will make bite here.”  He stroked his thumb over the soft skin of Dean’s inner thigh, but his human flinched at the touch, making him look up curiously.

 

“Is it going to hurt?  Your teeth can really cause a lot of damage and hurt me pretty bad if you’re not careful.  My skin isn’t as thick as yours.”

 

“I no hurt Dean.  Make better with…”  Castiel made a licking motion with his tongue.

 

“Oh, you lick it and the pain stops?”

 

Castiel nodded.  For emphasis he licked the palm of his own hand and rubbed it over the bite mark on his shoulder.  He sighed happily. “Is better. No hurt.”

 

“O-ok, but be careful.  Humans bleed a lot. We can die from bleeding.”  Dean was tense as he watched Castiel push his shorts down farther and then nudged his legs apart.  He’d been on his way towards another erection, but this whole biting thing had caused his dick to run away scared.  Castiel licked a wide swath over the area he planned to bite before pulling his lips back and biting down.

 

The pain was brief, and not as bad as he’d expected, probably because Castiel had licked it first, he figured.  Now his mate was carefully licking the wound clean. Almost immediately the pain subsided to just a dull ache. He laughed when Castiel kissed it gently.

 

“Is mate.  Castiel love Dean, so much,” he said as he rose back up to kiss Dean on the lips again.  “Mate. Mine.” He touched Dean’s hand to his own chest. “Yours.”

 

Dean pulled him into a hug and kissed him again.  “We’re going to get out of here as soon as this storm has passed, then we’re going home.  Together. I’m never leaving you again.”

 

Castiel chirped happily and pushed up under Dean’s chin, nuzzling his throat as he inhaled their combined scents.  He’d never wanted another of his kind, not since the very moment he’d laid eyes on Dean. Even as young as he’d been when they’d met, he’d instinctively known Dean was his mate, the one he was meant to be with.  Yes, they’d go to Castiel’s home, and there they would somehow make a home together. He’d never been this happy in his entire life.

 

“I love you, Cas.”  Dean murmured into his now dry hair.  

 

“I love you, Dean.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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**Author's Note:**

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